BY Dinitha RathnayakeThe Tourism Ministry expects anywhere between 500 and 1,000 tourists to visit Sri Lanka daily from 1 August. According to Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, discussions are underway with newly-appointed Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa regarding the development of the tourism sector. He said that the only way to solve the problems of those employed in the tourism industry, which has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, is to open the country and restore the tourism sector. The US relaxed its travel ban on Sri Lanka from “Level Four: Do Not Travel” to “Level Three: Reconsider Travel” effective from 6 July, and this travel advisory on Sri Lanka is a periodical revision published by the US State Department under the Level Three category. Accordingly, Ranatunga has submitted a Cabinet memorandum to obtain approval for the construction of water circuit houses and water bungalows to develop the tourism industry.

Source: The Nation July 19, 2021 18:56 UTC