The government has been placed in a terrible predicament with December 31 this year falling on a Poya Day, and already hotel trade is lobbying to have the liquor ban lifted on this day, as they have to cater to an extra large number of New Year revellers with the ending of the brutal war.
On top of this clamour to get the liquor ban lifted on this final Poya Day of the year, indications are that Tourism sector in Negombo too is now demanding a tourism promotional festival there like the one held in Hikkaduwa recently, to get the industry going again in a big way after years of struggle due to the war and the bad publicity it attracted.
But, authorities are said to be fighting shy because of the adverse publicity unfairly brought against the highly successful promotional drive in Hikkaduwa. It is, however, now quite clear that certain elements had deliberately worked to tarnish that campaign by putting on the worldwide web doctored photographs of nude and semi-nude stoned revellers from elsewhere as those that were seen in Hikkaduwa.
As for a tourism promotional festival in Negombo, the Ministry Secretary said they wanted to hold something there before the height of the Winter tourism season, but still no date has been fixed.
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