President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed Investment Promotion Minister Dr.Sarath Amunugama and Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda that the budget 2009 will lay a special emphasis on investment promotion and development of the tourist industry. President Rajapaksa has discussed the omissions and commissions pertaining to the Investment Promotion and Tourism Ministries with Ministry officials in length and has expressed his willingness to include practical solutions in the 2009 budget.

In 2007 Sri Lanka was able to witness US $ 734 million investment promotion and in 2008 from January up to June an impressive investment promotion to the tune of US $ 425 million has been recorded, Presidential Media Co-ordination Unit said.

Presidential Media Co-ordinating Officer Vijayananda Herath told The Island Financial Review that President Mahinda Rajapaksa who convened a special meeting with Power and Energy Minster W.D.J.Seneviratne, Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda, Deputy Finance Minister Ranjith Siambalapitiya, Faizer Mustapa, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and Secretaries to the Finance Ministry, Power and Energy Ministry and BOI Chairman Dammika Perera had drawn special attention to formulate constructive strategies to develop the tourism industry and promote investment.

He said that it was revealed at the meeting that some BOI approved new industries and factories producing consumables and manufacturing apparels were faced with the services of trained personnel. In different types of industries around 5000 vacancies had not been filled as trained personnel could not be found to fill the vacancies.

Herath added that President Rajapaksa had told the meeting that remedial measures to resolve the affecting problems in the industrial sector would be included in the 2009 budget. President Rajapaksa had also asked the Ministers to encourage investors and businessmen to establish industries and factories in villages instead of selecting urban areas for the purposes. The President had also told the meeting that the 2009 budget would prioritize infrastructure development to facilitate potential investors who were interested in opening industries and factories in villages.

He elaborated that President Rajapaksa who was studying the problems related to the Tourism Industry had asked the relevant Ministers and officials to devise a plan to bring tourists from China and Middle Eastern countries. Tourism had become the fourth foreign exchange earner and the foreign exchange which was being earned through tourism could be retained within the country. President Rajapaksa had applauded that the around 800,000 young men and women who were obsessed by fear of unemployment had been able to find direct and indirect employment opportunities in the Tourist Industry.