Sri Lanka and Maldives are to follow a common strategy in promoting tourism in the emerging markets such as China to better reap the outcomes of the industry, said Deputy Minister of Tourism, Maldives, Abdul Hameed Zahariyya at a press briefing at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.

According to him a very fruitful discussion took place between the tourism ministers of the two countries yesterday morning and they have agreed to promote Sri Lanka and Maldives as a dual destination.

In this respect, he further told the media that Maldivian inbound tour operators will be encouraged to come to Sri Lanka and operate as dual destination operators.   “Our Maldivian tour operators can go outbound with this initiative” he said.  “Sri Lanka and Maldives are complimentary destinations.  Each of us has separate products.  Therefore we can get together and form a complete product”  he further said.

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Faizer Musthapha, who was also at the press briefing told the media that an action committee of 12 representing both the countries was appointed on this joint collaboration and they will meet in every two years and discuss the necessary steps that should be taken in the future on the regard.

He also said that the Minister Milinda Moragoda has also agreed to facilitate Maldivian tourism industry interms of human resource.

“We have agreed to enroll 25 Maldivian students to our hotel school and train them” he said.

Maldives altogether has 89 resorts and 12 percent of its bed capacity belongs to the two Sri Lankan blue chop companies, John keels Holdings and Aitken Spence.

“Therefore Sri Lanka plays a big role in Maldivian tourism and we should work together” said the Maldivian Deputy Minister.

For the year 2006 Maldives had 620000 tourist arrivals and they are expecting the number will go up to 700000 a in this year.  “It is also good to see that some Maldivian entrepreneurs and companies had already leased out some land in the East of Sri Lanka and expanding the tourist business and enriching the relationship between the countries” he further said.