COLOMBO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police(IGP), Pujith Jayasundara, on Monday assured that 25 new tourist police posts will be set up in strategic places, covering all main tourist destinations across the country for tourism security.
In discussions with the Chairman and senior officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Jayasundara said, the police force would regard tourism safety as one of its highest priorities.
He said a new uniform will be introduced to the Tourist Police Division, allowing it to build more cordial relations with tourists visiting Sri Lanka.
In a few years, tourism sector is expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country. Therefore, ensuring safety of the foreigners visiting Sri Lanka will be a top priority for the Police force, Jayasundara said.
He added measures will be taken to offer more training opportunities to officers attached to the Tourist Police Division.
"Officers of the Tourist Police Division should pay special attention to language training. In addition to English, they should also learn widely used international languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French," Jayasundara said.
Chairman of the SLTDA, Kavan Ratnayaka said the state tourism institution will extend its maximum support to the Tourist Police Division, as protecting tourists was a key priority for the government.
Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was once heavily scarred by a 30-year civil conflict, has become one of the leading industries after it was dubbed as one of the world's greatest tourist hot spots by several international publications.
