Ride-hailing firm PickMe launched Colombo Connect at the Colombo Lotus Tower on Wednesday, the first city-wide destination to be introduced under its newly unveiled PickMe Explore platform.
The initiative aims to link the capital’s attractions, restaurants, entertainment venues, retail, cultural sites and transport into a single digital interface, rather than leaving each operator to promote itself. The company estimates the ecosystem could generate more than Rs. 30 billion a year in economic activity once fully developed, by encouraging visitors to spend longer in Colombo before travelling elsewhere in the island.
Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof attended as chief guest, alongside Digital Economy Ministry Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Colombo Lotus Tower Chairman Shirantha Peries and travel writer Juliet Coombe.
“Colombo already has everything it needs to become one of South Asia’s most exciting urban destinations. What has been missing is a platform that brings those experiences together,” PickMe CEO Jiffry Zulfer said. “Today, attractions promote themselves. Restaurants promote themselves. Museums, events and entertainment venues all operate independently. Colombo Connect changes that by helping present the city as one connected destination.”
PickMe also announced that PickMe Events, its event discovery and ticketing service, will now operate as PickMe Explore, reflecting a broader remit covering destinations and experiences nationally.
The state-owned Lotus Tower is the platform’s first partner. Visitors can now buy tickets to its Observation Deck and Pixel Bloom, an immersive digital art museum, through the app.
Governor Yusoof said the province’s ambition was not simply to attract more tourists but to encourage longer stays and higher local spending, Daily Mirror reported. He pointed to an upcoming tourism project backed by an $80 million (approximately Rs. 24 billion) World Bank investment covering the revitalisation of Fort and Pettah, a modern art museum, an interconnected heritage trail and nature-based wetland centres.
Coombe, who described Colombo as the region’s “most happening city,” said the capital’s craftsmanship and heritage sites remained underexploited as visitor attractions.
