Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLT) has planned to combat child sex tourism with a view to creating a socially responsible travel and tourism industry.

The growth in international tourism does not only represent an economic boom for most tourist destinations. It sometimes produces negative socio-cultural impacts particularly in the exploitation of children through sex tourism, the SLT was quoted by the Daily News as saying Wednesday.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry and the Tourist Board with assistance of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund are working out plans to minimize and eliminate child sex tourism in Sri Lanka, it said.

Laws should be available to ensure that children are protected from being sexually exploited. It is vital that tourists and those involved in the industry are educated that child sex tourism is totally illegal and unacceptable in Sri Lanka, it noted.

Travel Organizations, Hotel Organization and others who stand to profit both directly and indirectly from international tourism are urged to co-operate and proactively work to eliminate child sex tourism in the country.

Source: Xinhua