Ada Derana

Highly Factual

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized the necessity of providing high-quality infrastructure and services for tourists visiting Sri Lanka, as the country has gained significant international recognition as an attractive tourist destination. Accordingly, the President instructed officials to pay special attention to this matter and take necessary actions, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement. President Dissanayake issued these instructions during a discussion held today (17) at the Presidential Secretariat with officials from the Ministry of Tourism. During the discussion, officials briefed the President on the budgetary allocations designated for the Ministry of Tourism and the projects being implemented under those funds, the statement added. With the tourism sector taking a new step forward, Sri Lanka aims to attract three million tourists this year. The discussion also extensively covered the utilization of these budgetary allocations for the development of essential infrastructure to support this goal, according to the PMD. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Employment Vijitha Herath, Deputy Minister of Tourism Dr. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Aruni Ranaraja, along with a group of senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, attended this discussion.

Daily Mirror

Factual

By Pranavesh Sivakumar US restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe has sealed a deal with Abans and will be entering Sri Lanka, marking its debut in the island nation. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Business, Abans Group Head of Investment Supun Perera said that plans are underway to set it up at Colombo City Centre (CCC) by the second half of this year (2H25). He shared that Abans has expressed interest and is subsequently shortlisted. Hard Rock Inc.’s website also confirms its opening in Colombo this year, though it does not specify an estimated month. During the process, One Galle Face Mall and Havelock City Mall were also in talks; however, Abans was selected to procure the deal. “They are mostly located in developed countries. They serve liquor, have live music bands and the concept is such. We’re bringing that same concept here at CCC. That is one of the new things we are looking at,” shared Perera. When asked about the investment, he said that pending the bill of quantities and a few other aspects such as architectural designs, it would take another fortnight to finalise the amount. “If you look at the product prices, we’re still working on the product range but it will be benchmarked to the current market prices,” he added. The franchisee dealmaking started about four months ago and with the venue being an attraction among tourists as well, Abans decided to make it a focal point, Perera said. “The target will be a mix of locals and foreigners. I expect it to cater to a range where the locals can also patronise,” he added. As a growing global chain, Hard Rock Cafe is steadily expanding across South Asia, with branches in major cities in India. The restobar will join a list of half a dozen U.S.-based fast-food outlets in Colombo, including major brands like Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King, to name a few.

Daily Mirror

Factual

Newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee with Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath at the ceremony to hand over appointment letters to the members The Tourism Ministry yesterday officially announced the appointment of a 13-member Tourism Advisory Committee, with no female representation. The committee, formed under Section 32(1) of the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, was formalised on 18 March and will be chaired by John Keells Holdings Senior Vice President Dileep Mudadeniya. The initial list shared prior to the official announcement included SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall, but his name was not listed in the final lineup released by the ministry. While an advisory body to drive Sri Lanka’s tourism sector forward is welcome, the complete absence of women, despite their active role in the industry, has drawn sharp criticism. Business leaders and the public took to social media to call out the lack of diversity, questioning the ministry’s commitment to inclusive representation. In the previous instances where a Tourism Advisory Committee was appointed, there was at least one female member on the team. Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe handed over appointment letters to committee members at a ceremony attended by industry stakeholders. “The Tourism Advisory Committee represents a collaborative effort to harness expertise, drive innovation, and uplift Sri Lanka’s position as a global tourism destination. We look forward to the valuable contributions of the newly appointed members in shaping the future of this vital sector,” Herath said at the event.

Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

Earnings from Sri Lanka’s tourism trade has continued to remain robust during the height of the seasonal peak as arrivals have been stronger. This is while the country is being recognised and featured by global publications as one of the most preferred destinations for travel in 2025. Sri Lanka earned US$ 367.6 million from the trade in February 2025, which is the third biggest foreign income generator for the country after remittances and garments, taking the total income for the first two months of the year to US$ 768.2 million. While this marked a slight decline from the US$ 400.7 million earned in January 2025, it is an increase from US$ 345.7 million earned in the same month in 2024. The cumulative earnings rose by 11.7 percent from the same period a year ago. The stronger earnings are coming on the back of robust arrivals of 240,217 in February. This is an increase from 218,350 in the same month a year ago. As March has also come to its mid-point, the data showed that for the first thirteen days, Sri Lanka has welcomed 97,322 visitors, taking the total so far this year to 590,300 arrivals. Roughly a fortnight ago on March 01, Sri Lanka hit its half a million mark in the arrivals as it aims welcoming 3.0 million tourists in 2025 to generate US$ 5.0 billion in incomes from the trade. If achieved, it is going to be the records in both arrivals and earnings surpassing Sri Lanka’s previous highest achieved in 2018. At its peak in 2018, Sri Lanka hosted 2.5 million visitors who brought and spent US$ 4.4 billion in earnings. However, as Sri Lanka is getting continuously noticed for its beaches and mostly exclusive diversity offered by its nature, the 2025 targets appear mostly within its reach. For instance Conde Nast Travellers ranked Sri Lanka as the most family-friendly country to visit in 2025. Meanwhile, TIME Magazine has featured, The Pekoe Trail in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands among the world’s 100 greatest places to visit in 2025. This is even before the Tourism Ministry unveils its destination marketing campaign later this month. As the world has come out of the pandemic and the economic imbalances brought in its aftermath, Sri Lanka is seeing its tourism industry getting back on track, enabling it to surpass its previous records set for both earnings and visitors. Completed in March 2024, the 186-mile Pekoe Trail, named after the high-grade black tea, is Sri Lanka’s first long-distance walking route. It weaves through colonial-era roads and railway tracks, starting in the Hanthana mountains near Kandy and passing through tea plantations, eucalyptus forests, and villages before reaching Nuwara Eliya. The trail also offers breathtaking views of Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak), a sacred pilgrimage site.

Ada Derana

Highly Factual

As the world gradually recovers from the pandemic’s impact, Sri Lanka is positioning itself as a top-tier tourist destination, seeking to forge international partnerships to revitalize its tourism sector. The government has developed strategic plans aimed at upgrading its tourism infrastructure, elevating service quality, and establishing a sustainable framework that will boost the economy while supporting local communities. The government’s approach centers on cultivating global partnerships to bring in innovative solutions, enhance tourism infrastructure, and open up new opportunities for growth. Sri Lanka has set an ambitious target of welcoming five million tourists by 2030, aiming not just to boost visitor numbers but also to enhance the overall tourism experience. The focus is on tapping into emerging sectors like MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) tourism and bleisure (business and leisure) travel to cater to evolving trends. Source: TTW —Agencies

Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

Bandaranaike International Airport’s Silk Route Lounge on Tuesday (11) welcomed Indian actress Keerthy Suresh, who primarily appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka have surpassed 97,000 within the first 13 days of March, the latest provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed. Accordingly, the 100,000 tourist arrival mark for March was crossed yesterday. The island nation welcomed a total of 97,232 international visitors, marking a 14.72 percent growth, compared to the 84,755 arrivals during the same period last year. The daily arrival average for March currently stands at 7,480 tourists per day. The highest single-day arrival was recorded on March 8, coinciding with the International Women’s Day, with 9,073 visitors entering the country. India was listed to be the largest tourist traffic generator, accounting for 15.3 percent of the total arrivals, with 14,848 visitors. Russia followed in the second place, with 13,217 arrivals, contributing 13.6 percent of the total figure. Germany ranked third, with 9,083 arrivals, making up 9.3 percent of the visitors while the United Kingdom followed closely, with 8,845 arrivals, accounting for 9.1 percent of tourists. France recorded 7,109 arrivals, representing 7.3 percent of arrivals during the period. The Tourism Ministry plans to unveil new promotional initiatives for Sri Lanka later this month. Sri Lanka aims to attract three million visitors and generate US $ 5 billion in revenue in 2025. (NR)