The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, first of all, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to express views under the Expenditure Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. We all acknowledge that foreign employment and tourism are two of the main streams that bring in foreign remittances to our country. As a nation, these are very important sectors which, to a great extent, determine a country’s development.

¶ 02 Regarding foreign employment, we have planned that in 2025, 243,100 new workers will be sent from our country: 84,000 to Kuwait, 55,500 to the United Arab Emirates, 52,500 to Saudi Arabia, and 51,100 to the State of Qatar.

¶ 03 I must especially note the contribution of our citizens employed overseas to the victory of the National People’s Power. Therefore, as a government, the NPP has considered their welfare, particularly matters such as the education of their children, within this Ministry’s work.

¶ 04 On tourism, there are several matters to note. From the Middle East, 71,636 tourists came to Sri Lanka in 2018, but by 2024 this had fallen to 29,205. In my view, nearly 40,000 potential tourists from the Middle East have not come. As a country that values democratic principles and human values, we must examine why arrivals from the Middle East dropped so sharply. We all know the main reasons: after 2019, the nationalist policies and conduct of the then government, and the international discourse around those issues, caused a decline in tourists from the Middle East. During COVID-19, when the world accepted and allowed burials, we enforced cremations as a form of retaliation and punishment. That was one of the most inhumane retaliations in the world. Anyone should be able to decide whether to bury or cremate their dead. Because of such punitive decisions, many tourists skipped Sri Lanka for other destinations.

¶ 05 If we are to develop the tourism sector, we must understand Middle Eastern tourism. Roughly 9.5 crore (95 million) people from those countries travel abroad annually, yet less than 0.04 percent of them come to Sri Lanka. Middle Eastern tourists often travel with families and spend well. Therefore, we must prioritize this market. As the NPP government, we are considering this.

¶ 06 Having lived in the Middle East for 10 years, I have seen how political appointees to diplomatic posts often focused on personal gain rather than protecting our country’s dignity or building tourism. We witnessed close relatives being appointed. If we deploy capable ambassadors to that region, we can bring in a significant influx of tourists in a short time.

¶ 07 Tourist arrivals dip in May, June and August. Our advantage is that Middle Eastern outbound travel peaks from April through September/October. If we target those months when our arrivals are low, we can increase numbers. Currently, 50.67 percent of arrivals are from Europe, 0.70 percent from Africa, and only 1.42 percent from the Middle East. We have a responsibility to develop this segment. A challenge for Middle Eastern tourists is the shortage of guides who speak their languages. As a government, we will provide training to address this.

¶ 08 We must also properly train those going for employment to the Middle East and countries like Korea, including language skills. Without proper training, remittances have been lower. Through the Foreign Employment Bureau, we will implement training programmes.

¶ 09 Various parties are now ready to support the government unconditionally to develop tourism. The “Ruhunu Ring” concept is being discussed, to develop the coastal belt from Galle to Kataragama as a tourism zone, with particular focus on strengthening tourism by 56 percent in the Tangalle–Hambantota stretch. Weligama is a leading whale-watching attraction; after setbacks, trends are reviving with recent government decisions.

¶ 10 In my Gampaha District, we plan a proposal to develop rural tourism in Alawwa. With the development of tourism and proper training of migrant workers, we expect higher remittances. Most importantly, the previous government not only collapsed the economy but also damaged international confidence in our tourism. We must restore trust. We will, within our term, set the correct direction through foreign employment and tourism.

¶ 11 Thank you.