Addressing a press briefing last afternoon at the Hotel School auditorium, Tourism Promotion Minister Faizer Musthapha said the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) has a major programme for the annual Nallur Kandaswami Festival being held from July 27 to August 19.

Our main objective is to attract about 100,000 Tamil Diaspora for this festival from Europe, US, UK, Canada and Australia. We expect large religious groups from India as well. With the dawning of peace there is a huge potential to promote Jaffna as a tourist destination and as an attraction for religious tourism, he said.

To begin with, there will be five charter flights operated by Sri Lanka Air Force to Jaffna with a reduced return ticket costing Rs. 17,000 per head as opposed to the current price of Rs. 21,000. The SLTPB will take measures to provide basic facilities during the festive season such as toilet facilities and drinking water, Minister Musthapha said.