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Sri Lanka will take a "low volume, high value" approach to tourism as part of its long-term strategy to boost visitor expenditure
Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka Deputy Minister of Tourism says there is no place for competition in tourism
Speaking to TTG at WTM London, Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Tourism, said the country plans to collaborate with its neighbours to increase visitor spend.
“We are working very closely with India and the Maldives,” he said, before noting how the latter has “done really well” in the luxury market. “Sri Lanka has a plan by 2030 to increase the average tourist expenditure so we need to collaborate to get visitors who are visiting Maldives.”
Ranasinghe went on to emphasise the value of partnership in tourism, adding “competition” doesn’t work in this industry.
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As for Sri Lanka’s presence at WTM this year, he said it was “of premium importance” to attend the event. “This is our platform to open us up to the UK travel agents,” he said, adding there were 84 Sri Lanka operators at the event.
The South East Asian country has enjoyed a surge in tourism from the UK, jumping from 212,000 in 2025 to 270,000 in 2026 so far. “We are looking forward to surpassing these numbers again next year,” said Ranasinghe.
The tourism lead credits this increase in UK tourism to “enhanced connectivity”, including the launch of British Airways’ inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Colombo in October.
As for the future of Sri Lanka tourism, Ranasinghe said he hopes to build a sustainable tourism economy in the country. He noted the designation of 113 forest areas (180,000 acres) as reserves, and stressed the importance of protecting its endangered population of nearly 8,000 elephants.
Ranasinghe also brought attention to the Pekoe Trail, a 320km trail that begins in Kandy and loops back to Nuwara Eliya.
Divided into 22 stages, the journey takes visitors through the country’s lush tea highlands and introduces them to the festivals of 200-year-old communities.
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