Sebastian Ebel, a member of the Executive Board of TUI AG, responsible for destination experiences, hotels and resorts, cruises and group purchasing, met with Tourism Minister John Amaratunga recently, to pledge support to get the industry back on tr

As Sri Lanka strives to progress to the next level while grappling with the current turmoil that has caused a major setback, urgent is the need to catalyze a wave of economic resurgence that will place the country on par with its regional peers in te

REUTERS - Sri Lankan shares ended firmer at a more than one-week high yesterday buoyed by gains in beverage stocks, posting their first monthly gain this year, while the rupee edged up on dollar sales as month-end i

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday expressed concerns over the possibility of the European Union (EU) pulling out the GSP Plus concessionary scheme given to Sri Lanka as the country moves to re

Post-war Sri Lanka has seen a dramatic revival to its infrastructure growth. Over the past decade, high-rises, new cities and modern road networks have become an increasingly common sight, not just in the commercial capital of Colombo but throughout

The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) plans to develop a national Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy for Sri Lanka, in six months, partnering with the public and private sector stakeholders.

Malaysia is awaiting the green light from Sri Lankan counterparts to officially commence negotiations on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. “We have already completed a feasibility study on th

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka together with LankaClear (Pvt.) Ltd (LCPL) achieved a significant milestone in the country’s payment landscape by launching the National Card Scheme (NCS). The NCS will be operated by LCPL in partnership with the int

Colombo Dockyard PLC delivered its first ever cable-laying vessel ‘KDDI Cable Infinity’ last Friday, built for Kokusai Cable Ship Co. Ltd. (KCS) of Japan. The picture shows KDDI Cable Infinity at Colombo Port before setting sail for Japan on Satu

The ninth edition of Sancharaka Udawa, Sri Lanka’s premier travel and tourism fair was inaugurated yesterday at the BMICH, Colombo. This two-day fair will be open to the

Moody’s Investors Service said the economic fallout from the Easter attacks runs deeper than portrayed, as the April 21 carnage has sent tremors across multiple key sectors from fiscal to the external sector, prompting the rating agency to slash

The Central Bank (CB) mulls setting up a joint committee consisting of the regulatory and non-regulatory stakeholders of the financial industry to ensure the full implementation of the recently launched Roadmap for Sustainable Finance in Sri Lanka by

Sri Lanka’s trade balance in April contracted to US $ 797 million from US $ 999 million a year ago, as import expenditure fell for the sixth consecutive month and export income increased marginally.

Further delays in operationalising the East Container Terminal (ECT) would jeopardise the Colombo Port’s transhipment hub status, according to Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) Chairman Kavan Ratnayaka.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Government of Sri Lanka and the Regional Development Bank (RDB) recently signed loan and guarantee agreements to further assist Sri Lanka to provide affordable and accessible credit to rural micro, small, and med

‘Future Minds 2019’ higher education and career gateway exhibition opened at the BMICH yesterday. The exhibition will be held in Colombo till June 16, then at Kandy City Centre on June 22 and 23, and finally at Hall de Galle on September 7 and 8.

Sri Lanka’s banking sector has received a record 1055 applications requesting for moratoriums on outstanding loans worth Rs.62 billion by the struggling tourism industry at the end of May, According to the Central Bank.

The stakeholders of the badly-hit tourism industry have come to one platform to help revive the market by offering nominal rates and putting together a special promotional campaign to attract travellers, starting with the Indian market.

Sri Lanka’s national telecommunication provider Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and national mobile service provider Mobitel yesterday launched the ‘National Digital Roadmap’, marking a big step in the overall digitisation of national services and trad

(Colombo) REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s battered tourism industry is trying to woo visitors back to beaches deserted after deadly Easter bombings, slashing hotel rates and pushing promotions in key markets like Russia.

HONG KONG (AFP) - Asian markets rose yesterday, tracking gains on Wall Street following a report that the United States could delay its plan to hit Mexico with tariffs. The threats against Mexico have intensified anxiety among investors, who were alr

The East Container Terminal (ECT) is to be operational by second half of next year under the proposed terminal operating company (TOC) that will be jointly formed by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), Japan and India in which SLPA would have 51 percen

A Muslim devotee prays inside the Minuwangoda Jumma Mosque, which came under attack during the anti-Muslim riots recently. The Muslims ended the 31-day fast and then went into celebrating Ramadan yesterday

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in May fell 70 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 37,000 in the aftermath of Easter Sunday attacks which killed 250 people, including 45 foreigners. “We have been talkin

Sri Lanka’s largest pension fund, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), will hunt for bargain stocks in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), eyeing capital gains under the Central Bank’s strengthened and decentralised investment operation mechanism

Tourists are slowly trickling into Sri Lanka following the relaxation of travel advisories imposed against visiting Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed over 250 people, including 44 foreigners. The picture shows a tourist t

The Central Bank (CB) cut policy interest rates by 50 basis points to stimulate the sub-par economic growth which is expected to further worsen due to the devastating impact on the tourism and related sectors stemming from the Easter Sunday attacks.

Sri Lanka is currently contemplating to entertain applications to allow potential importers to import foreign cigarette brands to the country, as there’s significant demand for such among expatriates in Colombo, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera

Sri Lanka’s foreign reverses could tumble to US$6.3 billion at the end of this year, almost US$2 billion down from the earlier projected US$8.2 billion in the aftermath of Easter Sunday bombings, which has adversely impacted the country’s tourism

Sri Lanka’s crisis-hit tourism industry is anxiously awaiting the interest-subsidised working capital loans announced by the government under the financial relief package for the industry following the Easter Sunday bombings that crippled the once