Sri Lanka Tourism secured four international awards at the 41st Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF) 2026, held in the South Korean capital from June 4 to 7, Newswire reported. The country competed alongside tourism organisations and destinations from roughly 40 nations at the exhibition.
The standout recognition was the 2026 SITF Eminent Tourism Pioneer Award presented to Deputy Minister of Foreign Employment and Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe. He becomes the first Sri Lankan to receive the award in the 41-year history of the travel fair, with organisers citing his contributions to the development and promotion of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) collected three further honours at the same event — the Best Popular Booth Award, the Best Booth Design Award and the Best Performance Award. All four awards were presented during the SITF 2026 closing ceremony on June 7.
The recognition lands at a useful moment for Sri Lanka’s tourism marketing in East Asia, a source market the SLTPB has been working to rebuild after the regional disruption caused by the Middle East conflict earlier this year. Sri Lanka crossed the one-million tourist arrivals mark for 2026 in late May, with the SLTPB pushing a series of overseas roadshows and trade-fair appearances to maintain momentum in the second half of the year.
Seoul has historically been a smaller but high-yield market for Sri Lankan destinations, and a strong showing at SITF gives the SLTPB a fresh storytelling hook for tour operators in Northeast Asia. The travel fair is one of the longest-running B2B tourism events in the region.
