On Wednesday, Sri Lankan authorities announced that they have decided to offer livestreams from the island nation’s wildlife parks, with the aim of reviving the tourism industry that has been largely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government’s Tourism Promotion Bureau informed that livestreaming will initially cover four national parks that will showcase the South Asian country’s exotic wildlife, including leopards, bears, elephants, crocodiles and birds, among other animals.
According to an official statement by the bureau the project will offer eight wildlife streaming video sessions of one hour each, which will be telecasted through social media platforms and shared further through broadcast media.
Sri Lanka has always been a major tourist destination and depends a lot on the tourism industry. However, the industry has been struggling amid the COVID-19 crisis as authorities have indefinitely postponed their plans to reopen the country to tourists in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, no tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in April, May and June. There was a 60% decline in tourist arrivals from January to August this year as compared to the same period in 2019. To meet the income loss, most hotels are offering discounted prices for local tourists and authorities are trying the best to revive domestic tourism.
Tags: Covid-19, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism, Wildlife Tourism
