Sri Lanka has won the “Luxury Food Destination of the Year” award at the Travel & Taste Awards 2026 in the United Kingdom.
The prize was presented by the awards’ chief organiser, Alex Crosley, at Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion stand during the World Travel Market exhibition in London. Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe accepted it on behalf of the country, the Daily Mirror reported.
What the judges cited
The Travel & Taste Awards cover 17 categories of food-related travel experience and destination, with winners chosen by a panel of food and travel specialists.
The judges singled out three things: Sri Lanka’s growing cluster of boutique hotel groups, the breadth of its culinary scene, and the use of local produce in what the island serves. Hiru News reported the same citation in Sinhala, describing a high-standard boutique hotel culture and food prepared from domestic ingredients.
Context
The award is a marketing result rather than a measured one — it was presented at the industry trade fair where Sri Lanka was promoting itself, and the categories are judged on expert assessment rather than visitor numbers or spending data. Its value is positioning: it points the destination at higher-spending food and travel visitors rather than volume tourism.
It follows a run of similar recognition for the tourism promotion effort, including four awards at a Seoul travel fair and a laureate award at a Russian travel forum earlier this year, both also accepted by Prof. Ranasinghe.
Not reported
Neither filing names the other 16 categories or the competing destinations, gives the size or composition of the judging panel, or says how the Travel & Taste Awards select nominees. No visitor-arrival or tourism-earnings figure is attached to the award by either outlet.