COLOMBO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to conduct a feasibility study to construct an airport in the central hills of Kandy in order to boost tourism in the area.

Cabinet Spokesperson Gayantha Karunathilleke said that following a proposal by Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva, cabinet had granted permission to conduct the feasibility study.

The airport will be built for domestic air services and will be aimed at boosting foreign visitors as Kandy is a popular tourist destination.

Sri Lanka aims to double the number of tourists to 5 million by 2020 as part of a new tourist strategy to boost earnings of the South Asian island country, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said.

The primary areas of focus, according to the plan, include world-class management of natural and cultural heritage sites, strong connectivity to and around the island country and ensuring a safe and secure destination.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said last week the government also aims to develop airports in the north and east in order to establish a strong air connectivity throughout the island.