Feb 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says that the government needs to give priority to develop the country's agriculture sector more than the tourism sector since the tourists coming to Sri Lanka are budget travelers.

JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe has said that the tourists who arrived in the country were low income earners and does not therefore help to increase the country's revenue through tourism.

Addressing a meeting in Akuressa, he has said that despite government claims that the country would record 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2015, the tourists who arrive in the country are mainly budget travelers.

He has observed that these tourists depended on vendors who sell bakery products in vehicles along roads for their meals.

According to Amarasinghe, the country needs tourists who can afford at least a 10-day stay in a five Star hotel which can generate job opportunities for Sri Lankans and increase the country's revenue.