Tuesday, 3 November 2026 03:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam has resigned following the completion of his two-year term, leaving the tourism promotion agency without an officially appointed successor or Acting Chairman as of yesterday.
Industry sources said Hewawasam’s final day in office was 30 October 2026, with no formal announcement on a replacement made by the time of reporting. The Daily FT attempted to contact Hewawasam for comment, but he could not be reached. His resignation comes as Sri Lanka Tourism rolls out its long-awaited interim, market-specific promotional campaigns to maintain the destination’s visibility in key international markets ahead of the winter travel season. These initiatives are expected to bridge the gap until the planned Rs. 3.5 billion global destination branding campaign, targeted for early 2027 (https://www.ft.lk/top-story/Rs-1-5-b-interim-tourism-campaign-kicks-off-ahead-of-global-brand-push/26-796239). Hewawasam had earlier resigned as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) on 17 August, citing personal and professional reasons (https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Hewawasam-resigns-as-SLTDA-Chairman/44-796136). Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath subsequently appointed Suranjith Wevita as the new SLTDA Chairman. In October 2024, the Government introduced a dual-chairmanship arrangement under which Hewawasam headed both the SLTDA and SLTPB (https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Sri-Lanka-Tourism-gets-professionals-as-new-heads/44-767651). Before joining Sri Lanka Tourism, Hewawasam was an aviation and travel industry professional and served as Sri Lanka Manager of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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