The establishment of City of Dreams Sri Lanka is actively transforming the nation's tourism and hospitality landscape by providing the world-class infrastructure required to retain international visitors in the capital, according to Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams.
Speaking at a recent press conference held at City of Dreams to announce the upcoming landmark entertainment production Once Upon a Christmas – The Greatest Xmas Show, Munasinghe highlighted how integrated resort infrastructure addresses a critical, long-standing gap in Sri Lanka's tourism sector.
Historically, many foreign tourists visiting Sri Lanka bypassed Colombo or stayed only briefly before traveling directly to regional destinations. Munasinghe explained that City of Dreams was specifically designed to change these travel patterns and give visitors compelling reasons to remain in the capital.
"Our idea is to get these tourists whoever come to Sri Lanka spend two to three nights in Colombo and then they can go into the other areas of the country. So with these kind of events it's making even more worthwhile for people to stay in the city," Munasinghe stated.
He noted that prior to the resort's opening, Colombo lacked the dedicated facilities and venues needed to accommodate major international events, whether for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism, sporting events, or global theatrical shows. Since launching, the integrated complex has begun attracting international business travelers and leisure tourists who previously would not have visited Sri Lanka due to the absence of such venues.
While the Cinnamon brand has operated in Sri Lanka for 20 years, City of Dreams represents a major leap forward for urban leisure and entertainment in the country. The fully integrated resort features a lifestyle shopping mall, a world-class entertainment center, a convention center equipped with five ballrooms, 12 food and beverage outlets, five curated specialty restaurants, and two hotel properties offering 113 and 687 rooms respectively.
"When we launched City of Dreams Sri Lanka, the main intention of bringing City of Dreams Sri Lanka is to give a different kind of experience to the audience not just for the locals but also for all visitors who are coming to Sri Lanka," Munasinghe emphasized.
To bolster Colombo's seasonal tourism and urban nightlife, City of Dreams is acting as the official hospitality partner for Once Upon a Christmas – The Greatest Xmas Show. Organized by Ceilao Enterprises under Chairman Dr. Manjula Kulatunga, the production is a creative collaboration between Kooka Productions and ICrave Entertainment. The open-air circus musical brings acclaimed Australian circus performers and a full Australian production crew to Colombo.
The production follows Ceilao Enterprises' earlier success bringing international comedian Russell Peters to Sri Lanka in early 2026.
The resort’s festive season officially commences with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on December 4, followed by the two-and-a-half-hour Christmas show running from December 10 to December 12, 2026, on the Podium at City of Dreams. Ticket sales for the production officially open on November 1, 2026.
Acknowledging the commercial challenges of hosting international scale events, Munasinghe stressed the importance of strategic partnerships in keeping the city vibrant. "It's not easy to bring events of this scale to Sri Lanka because if you look at the economics it's really thin line... but brave decisions to bring these kind of events helps us keep the city alive," he remarked.
