Visiting Sri Lanka tourism minister Gamini Lokuge wants Bangladesh to launch Biman flights to Colombo in order to grow Bangladesh’s tourism industry. SriLankan has announced it would resume Dhaka services next year. These flights were disrupted following last year’s Colombo airport attacks.
“The foremost lesson from September 11 is to focus on regional cooperation,” he says. “South Asian countries need to position themselves as unique destinations, in particular, unique eco-tourism destinations.”
In 1995, 1,248 Bangladeshi tourists visited Sri Lanka. This rose to 1,738 in 2001. “With both parties having 2,500 years of history and cultural links, the current situation is not attractive at all,” he adds.