Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga revealed that newly trained workers would be needed in the hotel sector over the next couple of years due to investments amounting to US$ 2.8 billion.

Addressing the graduation ceremony of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, he also noted that as a large number of hotels were expected to open in Colombo, new hotels in the area may have to be limited and investors would be encouraged to open hotels away from the city.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Jetwing Hotels Hiran Cooray spoke against the over-promotion of tourism sites such as Yala and Sigiriya that leads to over-visitation and sustainability issues, and called for the promotion of less visited areas.