State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage, on Friday, signed an US$ 3-million tourism hospitality project with Taufeeq Travels Qatar’s CEO Rehan Ali Syed.
The project was signed as the Sri Lanka-Qatar Development Project 2023 at the Cinnamon Grand hotel.
Around one million Qatar nationals are expected to travel to Sri Lanka between 2023 and 2024 due to this project.
State Minister Gamage said at a press conference that her next move will be to launch similar development projects with Kuwait and Dubai to increase foreign exchange earnings for the country.
“Some people think I’m trying to get personal benefits from my work, but that’s not true. I aim to help my country,” she said.
“The country’s foreign reserves have dropped significantly over the past year. I plan to bring in foreign exchange,” she said.
The Minister thanked Taufeeq Travels Qatar CEO Rehan Ali Syed and his team, her adviser Anas Mohamed, and Araliya Group Chairman Dudley Sirisena for supporting her efforts.
“I would like to bring more Middle East people to visit Sri Lanka,” the Minister said and added, “I will try to do the best for my country.”