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Tourism Ministry announces advisory committee sans female representation
Newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee with Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath at the ceremony to hand over appointment letters to the members
The Tourism Ministry yesterday officially announced the appointment of a 13-member Tourism Advisory Committee, with no female representation.
The committee, formed under Section 32(1) of the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, was formalised on 18 March and will be chaired by John Keells Holdings Senior Vice President Dileep Mudadeniya. The initial list shared prior to the official announcement included SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall, but his name was not listed in the final lineup released by the ministry.
While an advisory body to drive Sri Lanka’s tourism sector forward is welcome, the complete absence of women, despite their active role in the industry, has drawn sharp criticism. Business leaders and the public took to social media to call out the lack of diversity, questioning the ministry’s commitment to inclusive representation. In the previous instances where a Tourism Advisory Committee was appointed, there was at least one female member on the team.
Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe handed over appointment letters to committee members at a ceremony attended by industry stakeholders.
“The Tourism Advisory Committee represents a collaborative effort to harness expertise, drive innovation, and uplift Sri Lanka’s position as a global tourism destination. We look forward to the valuable contributions of the newly appointed members in shaping the future of this vital sector,” Herath said at the event.
Members of newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee
- Buddhika Hewawasam – Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau
- Dheera Hettiarachchi – Chairman Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau
- Dileep Mudadenitya - Senior Vice President John Keells Holdings
- Nihal Muhandiram - Vice President EKHO Hotels and Resorts, Galle Face Hotels Group
- Dharshana M. Perera - Senior Director General Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
- Donald Rajapaksha - National Coordinator – Chamber of Tourism and Industry
- Professor D.A.C. Suranga Silva - Coordinator Sustainable Tourism Unit (STU), Faculty of Arts, Department of Economics, University of Colombo,
- Lasantha de Fonseka Managing Director & FounderTiesh (Pvt) Ltd
- Chandra Wickramasinghe - Chairman/MD Connaissance de Ceylon & Thema Collection
- Ajith Perera - Designer, Owner – Craft Tunnel
- Dharshan Munidasa - Chef, Creator & Owner – Nihonbashi, Ministry of Crab
- Prof. Sarath Munasinghe - Senior Lecturer – Department of Tourism Management, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
- Gerard George Ondaatjie - Deputy Chairman/Managing Director – Nuwaraeliya Hotels Company (PLC).
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