ASMET wants new Tourism Act as matter of priority

ASMET, the Association for Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism congratulates Harin Fernando on his appointment as the Minister of Tourism and expressed their good wishes for him. ASMET also urged the passing of the new Tourism Act as a matter of priority to salvage the ailing tourism industry of the country.

The statement says “we believe Sri Lanka Tourism has an important role in developing the country’s economy and under your guidance, we hope to be able to recover from the devastating impact the country is facing today. We would like to draw your attention to the following for the betterment of the tourism industry and SMEs involved in the industry. As a matter of urgency, the proposed Tourism Act should be passed in parliament to promote the development of the tourism industry and industry’s SMEs. The statement further added that more than three million people depend on the tourism industry. Therefore when making decisions for the betterment of the tourism industry authorities should take into account the fact that 80% of them refer to the ideas and suggestions of SMEs in the tourism industry.

ASMET is a duly incorporated body established under the Companies Act No 17 of 1982 and re-registered under the Companies Act No.7 of 2007.

The association also draws the attention of the minister that section 4 of the present Act defined the composition of SLTDA and the existing composition of the membership in SLTDA.

ASMET strongly proposes that section 4 of the existing Act be amended by recognizing and offering one or two member seats to ASMET in the SLTDA Board. This will pave the way for identifying, regularizing and improving the small & medium sector which comprises 80% of the Tourism Industry. Section 12 of the present Act provides powers to the Authority to establish departments and committees and under such power, ASMET proposes to establish a separate department in SLTDA to cater to the needs of the small and medium sectors in the Tourism Industry.

ASMET is an organization representing a diverse array of small and medium businesses in tourism including sectors such as tour operators, hoteliers, restaurants, tourism professionals and numerous other service providers. The SME sector in tourism plays a significant role in the tourism industry and ASMET looks forward to a cordial relationship with the Minister in building the tourism industry and taking it to greater heights.