Sri Lanka, June 2 -- The increase in air fares driven by the rising value of the US dollar has caused significant inconvenience to devotees travelling to Buddhist shrines abroad, as well as to tour operators, said Mahendra Halloluwa, General Secretary of the Association of Foreign Buddhist Tour Organizers.

He made these remarks while speaking to the media on the 1st.

Halloluwa said that around 270 foreign Buddhist tour organizations are currently registered with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, with many devotees saving money over several months to participate in such religious tours. However, sudden fluctuations in travel costs are now negatively impacting both organizers and pilgrims.

He further pointed out that visa-free facilities of...