Sri Lanka, July 17 -- The European Union is taking action to grant Euro 3.5 million (Rs.700 million) to Sri Lanka to rebound from COVID-19 tourism shock.

The European Union office in Colombo has sent papers regarding the grant to the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium for approval, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) sources yesterday told the Daily News.

SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijayasinghe said SLTDA officials together and Finance Ministry External Resources Department officials and the EU officials in Colombo had discussed the grant and it has been agreed that this specific funding should strengthen Small and Medium Enterprises in the tourism industry that has suffered a setback due to the eff...