Colombo to host first-ever Tourism Investor Forum

■ Tourism Minister Harin Fernando aims to promote and position SL as a holistic destination

■ Says forum likely to be held in 1H of the year

■ Forum will provide investors to engage in B2G, B2B meetings

■ Asserts forum will be a great gateway to building sustainable partnerships

Colombo will play host to Sri Lanka’s first- ever “Tourism Investor Forum” to lure foreign direct investments into the industry.

“Sri Lanka Tourism will promote and position the country as a holistic destination for travel and opportunities for investments in the tourism sector,” Tourism and Land Minister Harin Fernando told the Daily FT.

He said the forum will likely be held within the first half of 2023, assuring that the timeline will be announced soon.

“We hope this deep dive forum will help potential investors to explore tourism opportunities in Sri Lanka by hearing from foremost industry experts about specific areas in which they can invest and boost FDI inflows to the economy,” he explained.

Minister Fernando also emphasised that it will provide a platform for the potential investors to interact with Government officials in understanding the immediately available tourism investment opportunities, where the investors will also be able to request and arrange B2B meetings with Sri Lanka Tourism officials.

“Keeping in line with the global trends, Sri Lanka Tourism is being transformed into a dynamic entity that will become the gateway for tourism investments into the country,” he added.

He also asserted that the facilitation centre was established by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to assist potential investors interested in the Industry.

“The Investor Relations Unit is a streamlined facilitation mechanism that incorporates 43 State agencies minimising the time taken to obtain necessary approvals and manages all coordination on behalf of the investor,” Fernando said.

Noting that Sri Lanka had not been able to attract sizeable investments into the tourism sector post-Easter Sunday attacks followed by the pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis, he noted the forums will be a great opportunity to boost sustainable investor partnerships to develop the industry in the long-term.