Tourism between Japan and Sri Lanka will be developed with special emphasis on Ayurveda, Japanese Member of Parliament Dr. Arai Hiroyuki said.

He said vast resources usually not seen in other countries are available in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Ayurveda system is popular among the Japanese people.

He said so when he met Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, recently. Dr. Hiroyuki added that Japanese tourists to Sri Lanka had increased from 10,000 to 20,000 and most tourists are significantly women and children.

Action had been taken by Japan in response to a request made by Minister Rajapaksa during his last visit to Japan, to send Japanese investors to Sri Lanka. He added that Japan is ready to contribute towards building capacity of local tourist guides by providing training and knowledge of experienced tourist guides in Japan. He also requested the government to nominate commercial entities where Japanese tourists will be able to make trustworthy purchases.

Japanese Member of Parliament Shimpei Mathmitha said Sri Lanka is considered to be one of the most sought-after countries in the world. This is a most opportune time to strengthen existing relations between countries through the Ayurveda system. He pointed out that a Japanese newspaper had named Sri Lanka as the number one among countries for tourism.

Minister Rajapaksa said assistance had been extended by Japan towards development in Sri Lanka which in turn has strengthened the relationship between the two countries. He said assistance will be extended to Japanese investors to develop tourism and the ayurveda system in the future. Tourism Development Authority Chairman Bhaswara Senanka Gunarathna and other officials were present.

Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/japan-sri-lanka-tourism-expand