SLTDA Chief calls for data-driven policy shift as new airport exit survey reveals new info

SRI Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam recently said the sector is at a turning point, as new evidence-based insights challenge long-held assumptions about tourist behaviour and spending.

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Speaking at the launch of the 12-month national airport exit survey conducted in partnership with Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF), Hewawasam said the findings provide a more accurate, transparent and modern foundation for policymaking, whilst also exposing gaps that must be urgently addressed.

Hewawasam said the survey, carried out using international Tourism Satellite Accounting methodology, presents a “remarkable and sometimes controversial” reset in understanding visitor spending.

“For years, Sri Lanka operated on the assumption that tourists spent an average of $ 171 per day, based on a study conducted over 15 years ago under vastly different economic conditions. The new survey, however, reveals the actual figure is $ 148, underscoring how outdated estimates and misinterpreted data had previously shaped policy without proper context,” he stressed.

The Chairman said the SLTDA could have simply stuck to the previous high per day analysts to gain political mileage, but instead showed the “reality of the industry” to ensure that the right decisions are taken based on accurate data to boost the industry.