Tourism leaders push for urgent promos to meet Sri Lanka’s 2025 targets

• Urges immediate action to attract discerning travelers to boost dollar income
• Warns stagnant visitor spending could hinder chances to reach 2025 target
• Calls for consumer-driven marketing strategies to position SL as a preferred destination

By Nuzla Rizkiya

Sri Lanka is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals compared to last year, prompting industry leaders to call for the urgent rollout of global promotional campaigns. They stress that sustaining this momentum is crucial to achieving the government’s ambitious sector targets for the year.

Without a strategic marketing push, experts believe that sustaining growth and attracting high-spending visitors will remain a challenge, even if the sector sees improved financial performance. As the government targets 3 million visitors in 2025, aiming to generate US $5 billion in revenue—a 52.38 percent year-over-year revenue growth compared to 2024—industry stakeholders stress that the focus should not be solely on numbers but also on ensuring long-term sectoral growth and value-driven tourism.

Speaking to Mirror Business, Jetwing Symphony Chairman Hiran Cooray emphasized the need for an integrated promotional and positioning campaign to attract what he referred to as “discerning travelers.” He highlighted that the current period presents an opportune time for the industry to roll out such an initiative.

“If we are to reach the government’s target of US$ 8 billion in tourism revenue by 2028, we must act now. These campaigns should have already begun, but better late than never,” Cooray said.

However, he also expressed satisfaction with the government's focus on tourism, particularly in infrastructure development and digitalization.

“‘The Clean Sri Lanka’ campaign launched by the President is an encouraging program. If this country is clean—environmentally, socially, and ethically—I believe we will see prosperity at least within the next 10 years,” Cooray noted.

Meanwhile, Tourism Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President M. Shanthikumar pointed out that, despite the increase in arrivals, tourist spending levels have remained unchanged. He attributed this to the stagnant quality of visitors being attracted, noting that the rise in arrivals has not necessarily translated into an influx of high-spending tourists.

“The trade has been informed that a digital marketing campaign will be launched by March, followed by a PR campaign in April,” he said.

“If they do, bookings will increase significantly. But if they don’t, the numbers may remain the same,” Shanthikumar warned.

He stressed that authorities must fast-track the long-overdue promotional efforts, as further delays would hinder the possibility of reaching the 3 million tourist target set for the year.

Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Nalin Jayasundara reiterated the urgency of executing the promotional campaigns, emphasizing that private sector players are actively promoting the country through their networks. 

He urged tourism bodies such as the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) to step up their efforts and lead “consumer-driven marketing strategies” to position Sri Lanka as a preferred travel destination on the global stage.

Dismissing concerns about funding, Jayasundara stated that the money is readily available and that advertising campaigns could be rolled out immediately without financial barriers.

“Now, it is up to the tourism authorities to take that message to consumers. If it is delayed any further, we risk losing out to competing destinations,” he warned.