A decision by the United States government to lift an adverse travel advisory to Sri Lanka would encourage tourism growth in Sri Lanka, a top official claimed on Thursday.

"It is a very welcome development," Dileep Mudadeniya, chief of government tourism promotion agency told reporters.

"The travel advisory meant that U.S. business travellers and tourists needed approval to visit Sri Lanka. This requirement will no longer apply helping to increase arrivals of U.S. travellers," Mudadeniya noted.

The U.S. State Department said that "the Travel Warning issued for Sri Lanka has been cancelled, effective May 26, 2010" due to improvements in safety and security conditions throughout the country.

The military defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, ending a 30-year-old civil war in the country.