A meeting was held yesterday morning (30) at the Presidential Secretariat between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath and members of the Presidential Task Force overseeing the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Programme.
The discussions focused on the progress of introducing a digital entry pass to simplify access to tourist attractions for foreign visitors, as well as measures to expedite tourist visa processing, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
The meeting also addressed the need to streamline domestic air services for tourists, resolve operational challenges, and launch bus services connecting Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to key tourist destinations.
Officials reviewed progress on the ongoing cleaning and maintenance of Beira Lake and discussed how circuit bungalows owned by the Mahaweli Authority and the Irrigation Department could be utilized to support and promote the tourism sector.
The task force also addressed the role of the tourist police in resolving issues faced by visitors, along with challenges at whale-watching centres and other difficulties encountered by stakeholders in the tourism industry, the statement added.
