To increase tourist flow, Sri Lanka will reduce taxes for airlines
The island's government has decided to reduce airline costs for airport services and reduce taxes on aviation fuel. These measures, as the authorities expect, should lead to an increase in flights and cheaper plane tickets. In this way, the Sri Lankan government is helping to revive the island’s tourism industry after the terrorist attacks that occurred in April this year.
Terrorist attacks caused, according to the Sri Lankan tourism department, a drop in tourist flows in the first summer month of 2019 by more than 50%, when compared with the same period last year.
This situation seriously alarmed the island government, since almost 500 thousands its residents work in the tourism business, and two million Sri Lankans make profit from tourists in one way or another: they sell souvenirs, are employed in transport services, or work in cafes in popular tourist places.
