Tourism industry slams delays, warns 3 m visitor target unlikely without action

Claims despite global hype, officials fail to act decisively on key strategic initiatives Sri Lanka needs to woo over 1.68 m more tourists in remaining of 2025 Asserts no interim campaign or expert committee seen as promised by Deputy Minister Stakeholders blame lack of follow-through and accountability Urges urgent international marketing as incremental growth seen insufficient by tourism leaders Criticises overcrowding of institutions and lack of coordination

- BY CHARUMINI DE SILVA

THE private sector yesterday slammed the Government authorities for the delay in implementing promotions and strategic initiatives critical to achieving the targeted 3 million tourist arrivals this year.

Frustrated industry stakeholders claimed that despite Sri Lanka being in the global spotlight as a trending destination, poor execution and lack of urgency from authorities are stifling momentum and costing the nation valuable opportunities.

“There is a global hype about Sri Lanka, but where are the actions to capitalise on it? The numbers aren’t adding up and time is running out,” a senior industry source told the Daily FT.

As per the latest data available, Sri Lanka needs to draw over 1.68 million additional visitors before the end of the year.

Yet, tourism operators agree that without a sustained international marketing push meeting the target is highly unlikely.

In June, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) announced that the long-awaited ‘Nation Branding’ campaign originally scheduled for January 2025 (https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Sri-Lanka-Tourism-to-launch-unified-national-brand-from-January/44-769417) was delayed to post-Sinhala and Tamil Avurudu (https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Sri-Lanka-to-unveil-unified-national-tourism-brand-with-global-campaign-post-Avurudu/44-775394) and was finally billed for grand unveiling on 26 June (https://www.ft.lk/top-story/Sri-Lanka-Tourism-to-unveil-long-awaited-Nation-Branding-Campaign-on-26-June/26-777452). However, on 20 June, officials announced it as yet another ‘missed deadline’ due to regulatory bottlenecks.