Sri Lanka targets up to 100,000 UAE tourists in coming years

The consul general of Sri Lanka in Dubai is working to increase the number of tourists from the UAE to Sri Lanka. His goal is to boost visitor numbers from 20,000 to 40,000 this year and eventually reach 100,000 tourists annually in the coming years. Consul General Alexi Gunasekera has a plan to attract UAE investors in sectors like tourism, construction, logistics, and agriculture. The Sri Lankan government is offering better governance, tax breaks, improved services, and other incentives to make the country an appealing destination for foreign investment. Gunasekera's focus is on developmental tourism, which aims for broader economic growth. He pointed out that Sri Lanka is recovering well from the severe damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah last year, which impacted tourism and infrastructure, costing billions of dollars. At the recent ‘Invest Sri Lanka Investor Forum’ in Dubai, he stated, “Our island nation is once again open not only for travel and leisure but also for investment opportunities and economic cooperation. Grab this opportunity and come to Sri Lanka.” Gunasekera is optimistic about hitting his tourism target because of the large number of expats living in the UAE and the short travel time of about four hours to Sri Lanka. He mentioned that there are around 4 million Indians in the UAE, who are the largest group of tourists to Sri Lanka. If just one percent of them visit, that would already bring in 40,000 tourists. Gunasekera also aims to attract Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Filipinos, and expats from China, the UK, and Russia. He plans to engage with various tourism boards and councils to achieve this goal. For him, tourism is not just about bringing visitors to Sri Lanka but also about promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. He explained to Khaleej Times, “Our GDP (gross domestic product) is about $85 billion; our Sri Lankan expat workers around the world send back about $7 billion, and we expect tourism to contribute about $5 billion.” He emphasized that tourism acts as an economic driver that benefits everyone. “One tourist coming to Sri Lanka will help even the most vulnerable in society,” he noted, adding that tourism creates both direct and indirect jobs, supporting livelihoods across the island. Gunasekera reiterated that Sri Lanka's tourism strategy is focused on inclusive economic development.