Under the guidance of the Ministry of Tourism and Lands, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Ministry of Tourism, North Central Province has organized a two-day special program to promote rural and community-centric tourism through World Tourism Day 2022 in Habarana.
World Tourism Day was declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote sustainable, responsible and universally accessible tourism. It is commemorated worldwide on 27 September every year. This year’s World Tourism Day will be celebrated under the theme “Rethinking Tourism; Rural and Community Centric Tourism”.
Tourism is one of the most vital industries of Sri Lanka from the economic as well as socio-cultural perspective. It is a driving force for pro-poor economic growth and poverty alleviation and a stimulant of infrastructure and public service development.
This year’s World Tourism Day aims to take measures to upgrade rural and community-based tourism products, improve strategic marketing of rural and community-based tourism products and enhance the capacities of tourism based-SMEs. Such initiatives are expected to encourage rural industries and communities to exploit opportunities available in tourism-based niche markets. Sri Lanka’s Official World Tourism Day Program will be held on 27 September in Habarana under the patronage of State Minister of Tourism and Lands, Diana Gamage and with the presence of industry stakeholders and the community.
Due to unforeseen circumstances such as the Easter Attack in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021 and the current economic crisis the tourism industry has been adversely affected. Within this context, the World Tourism Day celebration serves as an opportunity to uplift the morale of the stakeholders and continue to take Tourism to new heights. It will assist in re-boosting the industry and working towards the goal of making tourism the leading foreign exchange generator of Sri Lanka.
