The new Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005 will come into operation with effect from today (October 1, 2007),as per the gazette notification published on August 23, 2007, on which the Tourism Development Authority will be established.
  
The ‘Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau’ will be a new institution set up to undertake Tourism Marketing and   Promotion. The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau will continue to function, while the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management will be structured under the New Act. There is an ‘Oversight Committee’ to monitor the progress of the implementation of the Act and the advice the Tourism Minister, of any legal implications to be addressed in the form of amendments to the Act.


Former Chairman and Tourism professional Renton de Alwis has been appointed Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board and the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, while Prema Cooray, Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and private sector industry leader is the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.


Milinda Moragoda, Minister of Tourism thanked the staff of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau for the excellent cooperation extended to him by them for the smooth implementation of the New Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, which will be operational from today.


The meeting was attended by P M Leelaratne, Secretary /Ministry of Tourism, George Michael, Addl. Secretary /Ministry of Tourism, Ken Balendra/ Chairman of the and Prema Cooray, Chairman/Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and several board members recently appointed to the new institutions.