China lists Sri Lanka in its pilot project for outbound tourism

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China has announced that Sri Lanka would be among the countries in its outbound tourism pilot programme scheduled to commence from 6 February 2023.Countries listed for travel by the Chinese government are Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Fiji, Cuba and Argentina.

Sri Lankan embassy in Beijing said that inclusion of Sri Lanka in this list reflected the close bonds between the two countries. The Embassy has consistently made representations to have Sri Lanka included in such a list, the embassy spokesperson said.

The tourism industry of Sri Lanka which suffered a catastrophic decline following the Covid19 pandemic now has the opportunity to recover rapidly. In 2019, 169 million Chinese nationals travelled outside the Chinese mainland. Today there is a tremendous pent up urge to travel among the Chinese and large numbers are expected to undertake vacation travel.

The Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing is continuing its multi-faceted efforts to promote Sri Lanka tourism despite the limited resources available, including during Ambassador Dr Palitha Kohona’s visits to different provinces and cities. The electronic (TV) and the print media (including the national dailies) have been engaged on every occasion as well as the social media. The Embassy has also established working relations with over 12 leading travel operators. Talks are at an advanced stage to shoot a feature film highlighting Sri Lanka’s fabled tourist attractions, including its world renowned Buddhist sites, abundant wildlife, tea covered mountains, precious gems, pristine beaches, smiling hospitality, etc. The wildly popular electronic platforms of Douyin, Tiktok, Alibaba have also been engaged with clips promoting Sri Lanka appearing on them regularly.

The Charge de Affairs of the Embassy, K.K.Yoganaadan, welcomed the announcement of the Chinese government. He encouraged Chinese travellers to choose Sri Lanka as they seek a warm and hospitable destination away from the winter cold.

Ambassador Dr. Kohona, who is on holiday in Sri Lanka, said that the re-emerging tourism industry will be a welcome boost to the economy of Sri Lanka. He expressed his appreciation of the Chinese government for including Sri Lanka in the pilot programme. Dr Kohona will meet SLAITO on the 24th.