Sri Lanka’s embassy in Beijing said it had talks with an industry association of China to promote cruise ships to Sri Lanka, the foreign ministry said.
Amabassaord Palitha Kohona had met with the Vice President of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA) Zheng Weihang,
He has has formally proposed that Sri Lanka be designated as a destination for Chinese cruise ships after it opens the country for outbound travel.
He had proposed creating four/five Sri Lankan cruise itineraries.
Ships will dock in Sri Lankas’ ports for a day and give the passengers the option of taking tours in the region close to the port thus engaging land operators as well.
“There were many cruise visitors from Europe before the pandemic, and recently welcomed the Cruise ship VIKING MARS with 900 tourists on board,” Kohona has said.
“Other European cruise ships are scheduled to call at Sri Lanka ports in the coming weeks.”
The Ambassador has suggested that tourists could experience coastal cities and also the Buddhist sites of the island, like the Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, or the forests, home to the biggest concentrations of wild elephants and leopards in Asia.
Weihang has promised Sri Lanka will be promoted as a new market for Chinese cruise ships.
Sri Lanka has three ports – Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee where cruise ships come
China is still following a strict policy on coronavirus with lockdowns.