Luxury cruise ship arrives in Sri Lanka with 2,000 tourists

The arrival of the cruise liner was expected to give a boost to the South Asian country’s tourism.

COLOMBO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — A super luxury cruise ship arrived at Colombo Port on Tuesday carrying over 2,000 passengers, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said.

The “Mein Schiff 5” owned by a German operator docked at the Sri Lankan capital in the small hours of Tuesday with ceremonies and cultural shows planned throughout the day.

The “Mein Schiff 5”, a luxury cruise ship, docks at Colombo Port, Sri Lanka, Nov. 29, 2022. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

Officials from the SLPA said the ship received a ceremonious welcome at the Colombo Port and the passengers would be offered excursions for the majority of the locations and tours covering Colombo, the south and the central highlands.

The Tourism Ministry said the arrival of the cruise liner gave a boost to the South Asian country’s tourism.

Nine international passenger cruises were expected to arrive in Sri Lanka by March next year, which would revive the country’s pandemic-battered tourism and attract much-needed foreign exchange, a minister said last week.■