The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to lease several under-utilised presidential residences to private investors on a long-term basis for tourism development projects.
The properties involved are located in Bentota, Kataragama, Mahiyanganaya, Embilipitiya and Anuradhapura. Proposals will be called from suitable investors to implement investment projects in the tourism sector at the sites.
Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said that although presidential residences have been maintained in various parts of the country for the official and personal use of the President, the current President does not use these particular properties for such purposes.
The residences, which are administered by the Presidential Secretariat, carry significant architectural and economic value and are equipped with full facilities and landscaped grounds, the minister said. However, they currently require substantial public expenditure on maintenance, security and other related costs.
The approval follows the recommendations of a committee appointed to identify a mechanism for the economically productive use of government-owned bungalows, houses and presidential residences. The proposal was submitted to Cabinet by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The use and upkeep of state-owned residences has drawn recurring scrutiny. Earlier this month the President’s Media Division rejected a claim arising from a National Audit Office report that outsiders had been accommodated at presidential residences during 2025, saying officials had been housed only in separate buildings within the premises to meet operational requirements.
The government has also moved to repurpose official bungalows previously used by ministers, with some allocated for judicial activities and court hearings.
