Colombo, Oct 26 (IANS): Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the government will launch a special tourism promotion program in five countries, including India, to boost the Covid-battered sector.

Ranatunga said he had instructed authorities to expedite the implementation of the special promotion program which also targets France, Britain, Germany, and Russia, reports Xinhua news agency.

Accordingly, short and long-term promotions will be organised in the coming months targeting tourists from these countries, he said.

Ranatunga added that he had also instructed the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to expedite promotions in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the Middle East and carry out publicity campaigns in several countries to promote the island nation as a country that has successfully administered Covid-19 vaccinations.

According to official statistics, Sri Lanka saw the highest tourist arrivals to the country this year in September with 13,547 arrivals.

With the arrivals up to October 13 added, the cumulative figure of tourists since the re-opening of borders on January 21 was 45,413, the Tourism Ministry said.

Tourism was one of the worst-hit industries by the Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka with the livelihoods of nearly 4 million people, directly and indirectly, affected by the lockdowns and the closing of borders.