1.7.2008
World
Bank has agreed to allocate funding to assist the Sri
Lanka Tourism.
Minister
of Tourism, Milinda Moragoda, concluded his recent visit
to Washington DC with very productive meetings involving
the leadership of the World Bank, where he presented his
vision for Sri Lanka tourism & possible ways the Bank
could support a pioneering project involving all the stakeholders,
including the rural communities & small entrepreneurs.
Minister
Moragoda’s request was well received by the Bank
Management, which has now agreed to allocate funding to
assist the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) prepare the
project for further funding & technical assistance
in due course, following the Bank’s Board approval.
Commenting
on the initiative Minister Moragoda said “The World
Bank was very receptive to supporting Sri Lanka Tourism,
in our efforts in enhancing the standards and the quality
of operations through capacity development for our SMEs
and other tourism institutions and enterprises to ensure
that we can offer a delightful experience to our discerning
visitors”.
The
proposed assistance will leverage the expertise &
resources of the private sector, wherever possible in
Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), as well as, community
based initiatives to empower local communities & small
entrepreneurs.
Moreover,
it is expected to address institutional & human resource
capacity building needs of key government institutions
connected with developing & promoting tourism for
Sri Lanka. In addition, the Bank interventions may also
include developing appropriate policies, compliance &
regulatory mechanisms, marketing & promotion strategies
for positioning Sri Lanka’s tourism offerings appropriately
in key global markets.
The
Minister said that the outcome of these efforts, which
will build on the recent reforms undertaken by the sector,
will make Sri Lanka Tourism to be a billion dollar industry
in the next few years. It is one of the few industries,
which has under gone significant restructuring in the
recent past, amidst difficult socio-political circumstances.
Accompanied
by the Ambassador for Sri Lanka in the USA, Bernard Goonatilleke,
Minister Moragoda met with the Executive Board Director
of the World Bank- Kumar, South Asia Regional Vice President-
Praful Patel, Directors- John Roome & Peter Harrold
& Sector Manager, Finance & Private sector Development–
Simon Bell.
The
Bank plans to launch a mission shortly to Sri Lanka to
build on the on-going discussions between the Bank &
SL Tourism officials, the Tourism Strategy being finalized
by the Ministry of Tourism (GoSL) and the proposed areas
of possible assistance identified in an initial concept
note.
The
Bank group, including the IFC, is expected to combine
their considerable expertise & resources to assist
this sector in Sri Lanka, which is believed to have great
potential & has thus far demonstrated incredible resilience
amidst waves of conflict which have gripped parts of the
Island over the last 25 years.
Courtesy - Asian
Tribune