Sri Lanka tourism to receive fillip from Germany 

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs announced that it would launch a short-term TV marketing campaign in Germany to boost the island’s tourism industry with a sum of Rs. 100 million being set aside for this purpose.

In addition, plans to appoint a PR company in Germany and 12 other countries are underway, according to the tourism ministry, which is set to allocate 435 million rupees in incentives for travel agents sending tourists to Sri Lanka.


Germany is said to hold vast tourism potential with over 50 million people travelling out of the country each year, of which only about 150,000 visit Sri Lanka. Close to 93,000 German visitors have landed in Sri Lanka in the year to date and both countries have said they intend to increase this number.

President of the German Travel Association (DRV) Norbert Fiebig has pledged his support to help revive Sri Lankan tourism by aggressively marketing this in Germany and mentioned that Sri Lanka’s free visa on arrival policy provides a boost in attracting German tourists.

Sri Lanka’s beaches and Ayurveda are the chief attractions for German tourists. Moreover, following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, hotel rates are viewed as more affordable and the tourism industry as a whole has recovered at a rapid pace.

Therefore, Sri Lanka is deemed to be in an ideal position to attract more tourists and emerge stronger.