Sri Lankan Tourist Board (SLTB) will invest 2 million U.S. dollars for promoting tourism in Europe, Minister of Tourism Anura Bandaranaike was quoted by Daily News as saying Friday.

He said the aim of the promotion is mainly to build up consumer awareness among Europeans. Soon after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, European arrivals dipped and this is one of the main reasons for the promotion.

Bandaranaike said the strengthening of the cease-fire agreement between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels would have a major positive impact on tourism.

"It is a plus point for tourism as well," he said.

The Minister said the SLTB would continue to seek some construction investments in hotels from international market to upgrade the country's tourism facilities.

He said the goal of the SLTB would be to woo one million tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka by 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2006)