Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has officially surpassed the 1.6 million arrivals threshold for 2026, registering a total of 1,609,759 visitors between January 1 and September 14, 2026. The milestone was achieved during the first fortnight of September, which saw 74,637 tourist arrivals enter the country from September 1 to September 14. Visitor flow remained consistent…
Airline and tourism promotion body aim to continue on growth trajectory for in-bound tourism to the island, which achieved 15.1 percent growth in 2025 over the previous year. Emirates and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) have renewed their partnership in order to amplify efforts aimed at benefiting the country’s tourism industry. The world’s…
Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.2% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, according to official data released by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS). The total real GDP at constant (2015) prices increased to Rs. 3,029,816 million in the second quarter of 2026, up from Rs. 2,908,570 million recorded in…
As the Computer Society of Sri Lanka marks 50 years of leadership, the 44th National IT Conference (NITC) calls for a new focus on people, digital competency and human-centric adaptation as Sri Lanka moves towards a digitally driven economy and Society 5.0. Sri Lanka stands at a critical point in its digital journey. Artificial intelligence,…
A prolonged settlement over the MV X-Press Pearl dispute could prove costly for Sri Lanka’s shipping economy Four years after the MV X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank off Colombo, spilling plastic pellets and chemicals along Sri Lanka’s western coastline, the environmental case has largely been settled in the country’s favour. The economic one has…
Mr. Richard Vaisvila, Lead Engineer – Airport Operations Engineering, Commercial Airplanes, The Boeing Company, and Mr. Jins Sebastian, Flight Operations Engineer (Performance), Flight Operations Department, Emirates Airlines, met with Captain Daminda Rambukwella, Director General of Civil Aviation & Chief Executive Officer, Monday (14) at the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) to discuss the…
Leaders discuss how Sri Lanka can turn stability into resilience, investment and sustainable growth DFCC Bank recently convened Future Ready Sri Lanka: Resilience, Competitiveness and Digital Transformation, bringing together leaders in economics, investment, digital government and banking to examine what Sri Lanka must do next as it moves beyond economic stabilisation. The keynote address was…
Sri Lanka Tourism continued its efforts to strengthen its presence in the Middle Eastern market with a vibrant national pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, from the 14th to 17th, September. The annual event, now in its 33rd edition, brought together tourism authorities, travel professionals, industry…
Anilana Hotels and Properties PLC has officially disclosed to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) that its hotel properties located in Nilaveli, Trincomalee and Pasikuda were acquired by Sampath Bank PLC. The acquisition was executed under the provisions of the Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act No. 04 of 1990. In a communication dated…
The Sri Lanka Retailers’ Association (SLRA) brought together more than 500 retail leaders, business decision-makers, entrepreneurs, technology experts, policymakers and investors at the Sri Lanka Retail Forum 2026, held recently at Cinnamon Life, Colombo. The Forum was held under the theme “Retail Without Boundaries: Building the Next Growth Engine.” The Forum examined the forces shaping…
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