Sancharaka Udawa 2026, Sri Lanka’s flagship travel and tourism trade exhibition, was officially inaugurated on Friday at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Centre of BMICH, bringing together hundreds of tourism stakeholders in a renewed push to strengthen the country’s visitor economy and expand global market access, the Daily FT reported on Saturday.
The annual showcase, organised by the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), is the largest gathering of inbound operators, hoteliers, destination marketers and ancillary service providers on the local calendar. The 2026 edition has been positioned as a “tourism revival” platform, the FT said, as operators try to rebuild bookings after a difficult first half marked by the Gulf crisis, rupee volatility and a sharp slowdown in arrivals.
The event landing this week is well-timed for the trade. March arrivals fell 19% year-on-year and revenue plunged 37%, according to earlier SLTDA data covered in our March tourism arrivals report and the matching revenue piece. Hikkaduwa hoteliers reported an 80% drop in trade during the Iran war, while Avurudu saw a slump in domestic tourism as the fuel crunch kept travellers at home.
Industry voices are pressing the government for structural fixes alongside marketing initiatives. The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) used the same Saturday FT edition to warn that steep liquor-licence fee hikes are hurting tourism competitiveness, while earlier commentary from Ravi Karunanayake on outdated forex regulations affecting tourism and SMEs has framed the sector’s currency-conversion frictions.
Sancharaka Udawa runs across the weekend with B2B sessions, destination presentations and product launches.
