The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) conducted a three-city Sri Lanka Tourism Awareness Session in India from Jan 7-9, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s readiness to welcome visitors and reinforcing its strong tourism partnership with India. The awareness programme was held in New Delhi on Jan 7, Mumbai on Jan 8, and Chennai on Jan 9, engaging key stakeholders from India’s travel trade, airlines, and media.
The New Delhi session was represented by H.E. Mahishini Colonne, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, alongside senior tourism and industry leaders, including Mr. Buddhika Hewawasam, Chairman, and Ms. Shirani Herath, Assistant Director of SLTPB; Mr. Nalin Jayasundera, President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO); Mr. Anura Lokuhetty, Past President of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL); and Mr. Fawzan Fareid, Regional Manager – India, Bangladesh & Nepal, SriLankan Airlines. The Mumbai session was attended by Ms. Priyanga Wickremasinghe, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, while H.E. Dr. Ganesanathan Geathiswaran, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Chennai, graced the Chennai session.
The sessions provided an important platform to share updates on destination readiness, enhanced air connectivity, accommodation capacity, safety measures, and collaborative opportunities with the Indian travel trade. The panel discussions reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to the Indian market, highlighting close public-private sector collaboration and the country’s diverse, high-quality tourism offerings. During the sessions, SLTPB highlighted Sri Lanka Tourism’s strong performance in 2025, which marked a historic milestone with total tourist arrivals reaching an all-time high of 2,362,521. India emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading source market, contributing a record 531,511 arrivals, accounting for 22.3 percent of total tourist arrivals. This achievement reaffirmed India’s strategic importance to Sri Lanka’s tourism growth.
Presentations showcased Sri Lanka’s wide-ranging tourism experiences, including leisure, culture, wellness, adventure, wildlife, MICE, and destination weddings. Special emphasis was placed on seamless travel facilitation, improved air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka, and the destination’s commitment to delivering safe, memorable, and value-driven travel experiences for Indian travellers. Addressing the audience, Sri Lanka Tourism representatives reiterated their proactive engagement with Indian travel partners, underlining the importance of transparent communication and timely information sharing. The sessions also addressed recent traveller concerns and outlined measures implemented to ensure uninterrupted tourism services and sustained visitor confidence.
An interactive Q&A segment allowed participants to engage directly with the Sri Lankan delegation, fostering transparency, collaboration, and stronger business partnerships. The three-city awareness programme forms part of SLTPB’s broader outreach initiatives in India, aimed at reinforcing positive destination messaging and driving tourist arrivals from the country.
Sri Lanka Tourism continues to work closely with its partners to position the island as a preferred year-round destination for Indian travellers, offering rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, warm hospitality, and exceptional travel experiences.