Sept 28, Colombo: Tour aim Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the government is working to achieve the target of attracting seven million tourists to Sri Lanka and earning $ 10 billion from the tourism industry by 2025.

The Minister said this speaking as the chief guest at the World Tourism Day celebrations held at the Kandy City Center in Kandy yesterday.

The Minister said that he had submitted a memorandum to the Cabinet to provide relief to the people involved in the industry, which is severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that some of its contents had been fulfilled and other measures were under discussion.

The United Nations Tourism Organization has declared September 27 as World Tourism Day. World Tourism Day was first celebrated in 1980. The theme this year is "Tourism and Rural Development".

The tourism industry represents 10% of the world's employwws. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the role of tourism in the international community.

International Tourism Day celebrations were held in Kandy this year under the patronage of Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. It was held concurrently with an exhibition featuring the creations of small and medium scale industrialists from the Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts.

Minister of State Dilum Amunugama, Governor of the Central Province Lalith U. Gamage, Sabaragamuwa Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa and a number of Members of Parliament were also present.