An Exclusive with Sri Lanka’s Tourism & Land Minister

Ayubowan, Sri Lanka!

The island nation of Sri Lanka is nothing short of magnificent. Boasting fantastic landscapes, romantic sandy beaches, Melancholy Mountain hills, lush green wildlife game parks, enormous tea gardens, and beautiful historic temples, Sri Lanka has no shortage of beauty.

Formally known as Ceylon and is today popularly referred to as The Pearl of the Indian Ocean owing to its breathtaking natural beauty, extraordinary biodiversity, and abundance of precious gemstones.

Floating in the tropical waters off the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka is defined by its Buddhist culture, excessively friendly people, and laid-back way of life, despite its troubled recent history.

In September 2022, Sri Lanka Tourism successfully conducted a B2B Networking Roadshow in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.

The aim of the event was to highlight the culture and cuisines and showcase the destination attractions. The 50-member team of Sri Lankan Tour Operators and Hoteliers was led by the Hon. Harin Fernando, Ministry of Tourism who was accompanied by Mr. Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Mr.Thisum Jayasuriya, Chairman of Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, and legend cricketer Sanath Jayasurya, brand ambassador for tourism for India, Pakistan Maldives and Bangladesh.

The 3-city roadshow focused on promoting a myriad of tourism experiences while also focusing on converting potential travelers to make bookings and highlighting the positive message that Sri Lanka is now open for Leisure, Business, and MICE travel.

“Sri Lanka plans to restart their economy in full force. We have gone through a series of trouble and having said that the power of Sri Lanka is such that if we ever fall down, we always immerge stronger and better!” says Hon. Harin Fernando. Sri Lanka’s Tourism & Land Minister

An update on the island nation

One of the key sectors of the Sri Lankan economy is tourism. 60% of our revenue is generated through Sports and Tourism. Currently, we are looking up to India and want to thank Indian government officials, especially Prime Minister Mr.Modi for supporting Sri Lanka during such difficult times. We have gone thru a political and financial crisis but things are settling down and we are here to say that we are ready to accept Indian tourists into the country.

India is one of our most important markets we decided our campaign should start from India and I am sure that most Indians have heard a lot of negatives but Sri Lanka is absolutely stable now and all the issues have been dealt with.

We aim to regain ourselves in the next 2 years. We are open doors for investment, for example – We met with club Mahindra to find them a different location within Sri Lanka to host their properties. We also met with aviation industry leaders like Indigo Airlines and Alliance Air. We are also exploring the opportunity to launch a MakeMyTrip Sri Lanka edition.

As of today, 1 Indian Rupee is equal to 5 Sri Lankan Rupees and hence this is the most ideal time for Indians to buy and invest in Sri Lanka., the land of opportunities.

Besides New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, What other locations in India are in your focus?
We realized that Gujarat has a lot of money and they travel a lot. Gujarat is one of the most traveled states in India. Even though we don’t have a direct flight from Ahmedabad to Colombo, Indigo flies very often out of the capital and has over 275 aircrafts and hence the potential with Indigo is immense.
We want to build back the confidence in Sri Lanka and as seeing is believing, we want to invite journalists to visit Sri Lanka and see for themselves. Even today, travel agents and tour operators are very big in India. As important as social media influencers are in today’s world, the state media houses are also equally important.

We are also tapping the South Indian market as it has so much of potential. In Kerela, we met with Santhigiri Ashram and are in the process of finding them a location for a branch office in Sri Lanka. We also have ferry services starting from Puducherry to Sri Lanka.

We are not just a beach destination or just a pilgrimage destination. We are also launching the Ramaya trail in a big way which is starting from Hyderabad. At the Mumbai leg of the Sri Lankan Roadshow, we are introducing special promotional packages where the Tourism Minister of Maharashtra will be giving a keynote speech and embracing the occasion.

What are some of the new initiatives to make tourism better?
We have a new visa scheme for tourists. Initially, we used to provide a 1 month (30 days) visa for 35$ but now for the same price (35$) we are planning to give our visitors a 6-month visa. This initiative has been approved by the cabinet. We are also providing a long-stay visa for 250$. This visa will be for the duration of 5 years multiple entries with each stay being up to 90 days. Sri Lanka has an ETA (online visa system) which is very fast and effective.

We as a nation have learned our lessons from the past and hence for the confidence and security of our tourists, we are launching a fuel pass. There will never be a problem with fuel for our visitors following the new scheme. All tour operators and tourists can buy their pass at the airport upon arrival and be rest assured that they will never run out of gas and fuel.

What are some of the key takeaways from the roadshow?
All tour operators know and love Sri Lanka. The world is worried that Sri Lanka is wiped out but I need to express that by December we will showcase our unveil ourselves like never before. We will showcase the highest level of hospitality, and our country will have a very different and festive look. This will ensure we build confidence in the rest of the world.

Can you elaborate on the Airline connectivity?
Sri Lankan Airlines alone flies to India over 100 times a week and is our no.1 airline. Indigo too will increase their frequency to 4 flights in a day, Air India has 2 flights a day but we are in talks to increase that as well. Sri Lanka also sees a lot of charter planes from India, especially Gujarat. We welcome many casino travelers in such charters. We want to prepare cautiously and re-launch ourselves. In November, we are attending WTM in London. This is the right time for us and 2023 is going to be our best year yet!

What is the currency status?
The Central Bank and Government had made a strict decision to stop importing certain items. Only the essential items were being imported. Russia is one of our biggest source markets. We have 11 flights coming in from Russia alone and they have always been at full capacity. The Russian Ruble and Indian Rupee are to be accepted in the country just the same way that the USD has been accepted across the world. The Central Bank and the PM are very keen and supportive of this initiative.

What is the Covid-19-related situation in the country?
Our forces handled the pandemic situation brilliantly and did an exceptional job. Everyone in the country has had their 3rd vaccination and is in line to get their 4th. For the Indian traveler, a vaccination certificate or a negative RT-PCR test is not required.

“We need support from the media to showcase the positive side of Sri Lanka. We are open to one and all.” – Hon. Harin Fernando

“Culturally and historically our two nations are very close and we hope for India to become the pillar that we need to build back, better!” – Sanath Jayasuriya

“We are a 7-day all-in-one capsule, a small land with many enjoyable categories. You can enjoy the sun and the sea and at the same time, you can jump into a waterfall. The next day, you can go surfing at Arugam Bay, and also go leopard watching at the Kumana National Park. You can also watch the world’s biggest bird migration which happens in Bundala National Park. We are ready to welcome you with a warm heart!”– Chalaka Gajabahu

“Sri Lanka has become a competitive and economically friendly market for Indians so please start your negotiations with us and the conventions bureau will ensure that you get full value for your money” – Thisum Jayasuriya

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