President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and tourism industry representatives discussed a package of regulatory reforms and expansion plans on Wednesday, built around targets of $10 billion in tourism revenue and five million arrivals by 2030.
The meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat, and the account comes from the President’s Office, as reported by the Daily FT.
What was proposed
The most consequential item for operators would require all tourist hotels and accommodation providers to register with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, bringing them under the relevant legal framework with the stated aim of formalising the industry.
Participants also gave particular attention to introducing laws and regulations covering businesses run by foreign nationals in Sri Lanka in violation of prescribed legal procedures — a long-running complaint from domestic operators.
Using national parks to support tourism growth was discussed alongside new laws and regulations to protect forest resources.
Air access
On expansion, the meeting noted that 10 new international airlines began flights to Sri Lanka this year, and discussed what would be required to raise the total number serving the country to 50.
Domestic air travel drew specific focus, particularly links to Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Sigiriya and Jaffna. Progress on global campaigns promoting Sri Lankan tourism was also reviewed.
Among those present were Labour Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Sri Lanka Hotels Association President Ashoka Hettigoda and Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators Association President Bobby Jordan Hansen, along with members of the task force set up to promote tourism.
Not reported
Nothing in the account indicates that any of the measures has been decided. The filing gives no timeline for the registration requirement, no draft legislation, no enforcement mechanism or penalty for non-registration, and no current count of international airlines against the 50 target. It also does not say how many accommodation providers are presently unregistered — the figure that would determine the scale of the exercise.
