Sri Lanka’s first ever tourist-friendly ‘Tuk Tuk’ service was launched at the Galle Face Green under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.
A concept introduced by the Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera as a proposal under Budget-2018, the government commissioned this ‘tourist friendly tuk-tuk’ programme in collaboration with the hospitality industry.
Minister Mangala Samaraweera with Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Japanese Ambassador Kenichi Suganuma riding a Tuk.
This programme provides for existing three-wheeler drivers to register with the SLTDA so that a three-wheeler would not only be a mode of transportation, but the driver to serve as a local tourist-guide as well.
Over 750 Tuk Tuk drivers have been trained by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to date under its tourist-friendly training programs across several districts.
Furthermore, all drivers who successfully complete the program will get a special ID from the SLTDA, in addition to the tourist-friendly logo that will be displayed on these Tuk Tuk as a unique mark to distinguish them from other three-wheelers.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that under the Enterprise Sri Lanka credit schemes, the Ministry of Finance will incorporate a subsidised loan scheme to enable Tuk Tuk drivers to invest in a multitude of additional services including meters, WIFI, and GPS facilities that would act as value-added services that are already provided to consumers, both domestic and tourists.
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