New Zealand Targets 50,000 Visitors to Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (News 1st); New Zealand's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, David Pine, praised the country's location, natural beauty, and the talent of its well-educated population, noting that Sri Lankan students are highly sought after by countries worldwide, including New Zealand.

Pine assured that New Zealand would continue its existing initiatives while exploring new opportunities. 

He highlighted the dominance of dairy exports in trade statistics and expressed New Zealand's interest in helping Sri Lanka develop its own dairy industry. He pointed out that dairy farming typically starts as small family-run operations and can naturally grow into larger farm businesses. Pine believes Sri Lanka is well-positioned for this progression due to its relatively lower proportion of the population in agriculture and higher productivity compared to neighboring countries.

New Zealand aims to assist Sri Lanka in capacity building, food safety, and meeting export regulations, with potential extending beyond dairy to fruit production. 

Pine identified the lack of people-to-people contact as the biggest obstacle to stronger economic relations. He noted that while there is no negative sentiment towards Sri Lanka in New Zealand, awareness is low. To address this, New Zealand plans to focus on tourism, aiming to attract 50,000 New Zealanders to Sri Lanka annually.