Sri Lanka to promote Ayurveda to boost tourism
May 20, 2008
Colombo – The small island in the south of India is getting ambitious to draw more tourists. Yes we are mentioning of Sir Lanka. Earlier they were targeting the Ramayana remains to attract tourist and were quite successful in doing so. But now they have turned to what is considered as Indian health science, The Ayurveda. They have to start with the promotion of the tourism because it was very much affected by the civil war that was on going between LTTE and government.
Tourism is one of the major revenue generators in Sri Lanka. Major tourist appeals are focused around the island’s well known beaches, prehistoric cities, heritage sites, and the flourishing green tea estates in the central hills around the island. ‘Our tourism sector is a combination of nature and culture and ayurveda touches both. With ayurvedic tourism becoming a booming industry in the region, we are making concerted efforts to streamline it to attract more tourists to our country,’ stated by Sri Lanka Tourism Board head Renton de Alwis.
Ayurveda is not only a medicinal science that not only treats body physically but also treats us mentally. ‘Besides Kerala, Sri Lanka is the next best renowned spot for this field in the world. It will be a totally different experience for the tourists as ayurveda gives them a new lifestyle,’ De Alwis added.
He also said that Sri Lanka’s tourism ministry is now working with the ministry of native medicine in this view and conducting training workshops for ayurveda physician and therapists to set high standards of professionalism in dealing with tourists from a variety of countries. ‘We want to standardize the ayurvedic practice in the country to ensure the maintenance of a high quality of service. We do not want unqualified practitioners to cheat tourists in the name of ayurveda,’ De Alwis also stated. According to the monthly statistical report released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, there has been a minor increase of 0.7 % in tourist arrivals for the first 3 months of 2008, though it is almost a 9 % growth when compared to the earlier year. ‘Right now we are doing all right, but we could do much better,’ De Alwiscon concluded.
IANS
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