Sri Lanka Tourism continues to grab news headlines around the world. In the latest global coverage, BBC’s ‘The CEO Edit’ interviewed Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando in early April on the island’s strategy for post-Covid tourism and how the destination is gearing up for the new normal. Ms.Fernando emphasized that with the important role the tourism sector plays in the economy of Sri Lanka, it became critical to re-envisage the industry. One of the key pillars in the restructuring has been technology and technology backed initiatives such as live-streaming local attractions to global audiences to keep the dream about Sri Lanka alive. Moreover, greater digitalisation efforts have seen registrations of industry members become a smooth online process while hotel school students continued their curriculum online without disruption.

During the interview with BBC host Tanya Beckett, the Chairperson revealed that she was focused on driving partnerships to build authentic experiences. Further she stated that the expectations of international travellers have changed and Sri Lanka Tourism has geared its offering to meet the needs of post-Covid tourism by factoring in health and wellness, sustainability and non-commercial experiences. Travelers now more than ever seek a sense of fulfillment and a heightened sense of responsibility in greening their footprint, especially the millennial segment.

Extending the focus on Sri Lanka further, BBC Travel too carried an article, ‘The Unsolved Mystery of Sri Lanka’s Stargate’ by Demi Perera. The journalist describes a chart-like carving in Anuradhapura which is being speculated to be a ‘stargate’ by netizens.  A stargate is an ancient gateway which some believe through which humans can enter the Universe! The article states that it is to be found at Sri Lanka's sacred city of Anuradhapura, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first established kingdom on the island in 377 BC, which is at the heart of Sri Lanka's Buddhist culture. Sri Lanka's enigmatic alleged ‘stargate’ remains shrouded in mystery, its purpose and meaning still lost to time, notes the writer, and adds that the chart's newly acquired fame is expected to draw sci-fi enthusiasts to the island in the future.

In recent months Sri Lanka has generated global attention, with a first-hand account in CNN Travel on how Sri Lanka Tourism re- opened the country by pioneering the ‘bio-bubble’ concept. Further, CNN’s Julia Chatterley of the highly-rated show, ‘First Move’, earlier on this year interviewed Kimarli Fernando on the country’s re-opening strategy, highlighting the salient features of the bio-bubble for tourists.