🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Launches Rs. 1.5 Bn Interim Tourism Campaign Ahead of Global Push

Sri Lanka Tourism has kicked off a Rs. 1.5 Bn interim promotional campaign running from August 2026 to April 2027 to boost international destination marketing. This bridges the gap until a full-scale, Rs. 5 Bn global nation-branding campaign launches in March/April 2027. • Targets & Growth: • 2026 Target: Revised to 2.7 Bn visitors and US$ 4.2 Bn in revenue (vs. 2.36 Bn arrivals and US$ 3.2 Bn earnings YoY). • 2027 Target: Aims for 3 Bn visitors and US$ 5 Bn revenue, scaling up to US$ 10 Bn by 2030. • Key Markets & Rollout: • Priority Markets: Initial PR/digital push in Australia (leading in August), UK, Germany, India, China, and Russia. • Future Expansion: France, Italy, Middle East, Japan, and South Korea, among others. • Strategy & Experience: • Shift from observational to experiential travel (focusing on length of stay, spending, and regional dispersal into the East, North, and Uva). • Core experiences: Leisure, culture, wellness, adventure, MICE, and niche sectors like Ayurveda and marine tourism. • Partnerships & Innovation: • Airline partnerships signed with Emirates; ongoing talks with IndiGo, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways. • Digital expansion with LankaPay for local spending, an AI-enabled travel platform, and tech integrations with Meta, Google, and TikTok.