With Sri Lanka currently achieving notable numbers of tourist arrivals, recent developments in the tourism sector have brought key infrastructure and regulatory requirements to the forefront.
While the industry is always a high-priority area for the Government, issues in facilitating a seamless experience have raised concerns among industry leaders. Hence, providing effective and permanent solutions for basic infrastructure, facilities, and resource development have emerged as key requirements.
Sri Lanka recorded 2,053,465 tourist arrivals in 2024, reflecting a 38.07% rise from 2023 and contributing $ 3.2 billion in earnings. For 2025, projections indicate an optimistic target of three million visitors and a conservative estimate of 2,676,596.
Meanwhile, during the initial six months of 2025, a total of 51 investment project proposals were received, covering 1,564 rooms with a cumulative proposed investment value of $ 169.096 million. This indicates a moderate but steady inflow of new interest in tourism-related developments.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Deputy Director General Upali Ratnayake highlighted several ongoing attempts by the authorities to improve basic infrastructure and superstructure facilities.
According to Ratnayake, several development reforms will be carried out in a timely manner as well, especially with the tourism industry being a priority. He highlighted that visitor facilities needed to be effectively prioritised, aligning with the Government’s strategy towards development.
“For basic infrastructure development, other Government agencies will also have to join hands with the tourism authorities to ensure better facilities, such as roads, energy, and water. For other infrastructure development, investments are facilitated in a manner where any foreign or local investor can come up with a proposal for facility development, especially accommodation facility development. In this regard, approximately 5,000–5,100 rooms are added yearly,” he said.
Improving first impressions
The first impression of Sri Lanka for tourists begins at the airport. Hence, the country’s main airport, the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), plays a significant role in tourism growth.
The BIA Development Project is expected to increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity substantially and reduce congestion, but the project faced significant delays due to the economic crisis in 2022, with construction halted and only 6% of Phase II completion achieved by that time.
Following debt restructuring, the project is now re-tendered for completion by 2027, after which the new terminal is expected to modernise the airport and boost foreign currency earnings for Sri Lanka.
However, as recently as the last couple of weeks, passengers at the BIA faced severe congestion, with long queues at both check-in counters and immigration, causing some travellers to nearly miss their flights. The industry also experienced setbacks in 2024 due to prolonged delays and inefficiencies at the BIA, where daily arrival numbers were reported to drop significantly during the issue.
Therefore, finding an effective solution to this matter has been identified as a key requirement and many stakeholders believe the completion of the BIA Development Project will provide such a solution.
Commenting on tourists’ first impressions, especially at the BIA, Ratnayake noted that the airport’s refurbishments would lead to better impressions in the years to come, especially with the first terminal refurbishment underway and contracts being processed for the second terminal. He emphasised that the challenging period of the economic crisis had also contributed to these delays.
Former President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Nishad Wijetunga highlighted issues at the BIA as a key concern that needed to be resolved soon, as it could affect the tourist numbers expected by the authorities, similar to last year.
One main issue, according to him, is capacity constraints, in addition to delays at Immigration. He added that it was important for Immigration to assess flight arrival times and have more officers present accordingly.
Wijetunga emphasised that the BIA needed to be given priority and matters resolved quickly. Furthermore, he highlighted that if the east coast and the eastern side of the country were to be better promoted, it was necessary to facilitate internal flight operations at reasonable prices on a scheduled basis, rather than an ad hoc charter basis.
According to Wijetunga, the other large infrastructure issue that could benefit the industry and should be completed soon is the Central Expressway, both from Kadawatha to Mirigama and Kurunegala to Dambulla. He noted that resolving these issues would address several congestion problems effectively, allowing for smoother transport.
While these are not projects that can be completed in a short span, Wijetunga highlighted the need for the Government to address them as soon as possible and expedite the projects.
Regarding regulatory concerns, he pointed out that most of the requirements were covered under the Tourism Act, which was fairly comprehensive. However, he acknowledged that one area of concentration for the regulatory body was addressing the issue of illegal tourism operators outside of Colombo, especially foreigners conducting business illegally on tourist visas, which was unacceptable.
Moreover, commenting on changes required at the BIA in order to better cater to tourists, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET) President Prebudda Jayasinghe noted that there was a need for more immigration counters, including dedicated counters, especially due to delays in departures. He also observed notable delays in baggage clearance and human resource constraints related to the process.
On transport concerns, Jayasinghe observed that the process of accessing vehicles at the airport remained acceptable at present, especially for pre-planned tourists booking through Destination Management Companies (DMCs).
He further noted that even tourists with direct arrivals had a fair amount of accessibility through airport counters, ride-sharing applications, and driving licence facilities. However, in terms of developments that could be helpful in the future, he highlighted the significance of a direct train facility or direct transfer system from the airport to Colombo City.
Regulatory issues
The tourism industry is primarily regulated by the Tourism Act, with the SLTDA serving as the official Government institution tasked with regularising the industry. As per the act, any establishment involving tourism must be registered with the Tourist Board and have its licence renewed annually. The act focuses on four key categories that require licensing by the SLTDA, which include accommodation, travel agents, national tourist guide lecturers, and service providers.
Jayasinghe also highlighted certain regulatory concerns, especially issues concerning DMCs, that needed to be promptly and properly addressed.
“There are entities, both foreign and local, that operate illegal travel agent businesses without a proper licence. This affects licensed entities that already pay taxes. The unlicensed businesses do not bring foreign revenue to the Government directly, through a proper mechanism or a commercial bank, and evade taxes as well.
“With this, the Government stands to lose tourism development levies and other income taxes. Hence, it is necessary for the Government to pay attention to the matter, as the focus on this has been inadequate,” he added.
Additionally, Jayasinghe highlighted the need to promptly implement the global consumer marketing campaign.
Moreover, speaking to The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance (SLTA) Co-Chair Malik J. Fernando highlighted that in order to improve tourism experiences, encourage repeat visits, and support higher-yielding travellers, it was important to provide as seamless an experience as possible while focusing on revenue rather than numbers.
“The online visa system is now working well, so that should not change. The airport arrival experience isn’t great, but with the new terminal hopefully opening in 2027, work is being done in that area. The all-important visitor experience at national parks and cultural sites ranges from poor to terrible. These areas need to be resolved with some simple steps that do not require investment but alignment and execution,” Fernando explained.
Infrastructure gaps affecting Tourist Police operations
Across Sri Lanka, the Tourist Police operates 43 branches located in major travel destinations. These are categorised into Tourist Police bureaus in well-known hotspots and Tourist Police units in other regions.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Police Tourist Division Acting Director and Assistant Superintendent of Police Prabath Vidanagama shared the development requirements faced by the division.
Highlighting infrastructural hurdles and resource constraints faced by the Tourist Police Division itself, Vidanagama explained that despite being the dedicated entity for tourism, it lacked several resources.
“The tourism authorities that handle tourism revenue should provide physical resources and basic physical infrastructure facilities in existing spaces. If new divisions are to be established, proper office spaces should be provided. Moreover, Tourist Police officers also provide lifeguard services on coasts. However, there isn’t a single jet ski provided for rescue purposes.”
The Government recently announced a decision to offer a driving licence for tourists on arrival for Rs. 2,000, with many visitors renting vehicles such as bikes or three-wheelers to travel around the country. While this makes travelling more convenient for tourists, certain regulatory concerns exist, particularly regarding how these drivers will be regulated and managed on the road, as well as the condition of the roads themselves.
Vidanagama stated that if tourists had a licence from their home country, they were allowed to be issued a licence here. However, he said that concerns about the driving aspect, cultural differences in terms of road discipline, and familiarity should be looked at more seriously when providing this facility.
Tourist Police skill development
As the special division of the Police Department established to ensure the safety and security of tourists, the Tourist Police is tasked with providing assistance with emergencies, lost items, and concerns like scams or harassment.
Tourist Police officers often speak English, while other languages are also used. The Sunday Morning questioned the language competency in other languages in addition to English, especially given that Sri Lanka’s top source markets are consistently led by India, followed by the UK and Russia, with Germany and China also representing significant visitor numbers.
Vidanagama noted that language skills development held high priority in the Tourist Police Division. He said that the division conducted training programmes in addition to its academy, which provided lessons in the necessary languages.
While the division did provide training, Vidanagama pointed out certain practical issues that impacted the process. One is that the Police cadre can lose skill in a language due to lack of regular use. In addition, although the Police cadre can be trained, the division is unable to provide assurance that the staff will remain in the same role in the long run due to potential transfers.
However, he suggested that in order to overcome the language gap, a digital system that catered to multiple languages with proper translation and interpretation mechanisms could be implemented to facilitate smoother communication.