Sri Lanka Tourism - slip, sliding away
The Paul Simon song “Slip Sliding Away” tells what can happen if we don't live deliberately. Where drifting is just existing, coasting along without purpose or direction. Even if we have a desire, dream or purpose, we spend most of our time not working towards our dreams. That is about how one can describe Sri Lanka’s Tourism journey.
In late August 2024, the now former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry, declared that the country would finally introduce “with immediate effect” visa-free access to Sri Lanka for nationals of 38 countries. Soon afterwards, with the change in government, that went into limbo.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Hotel Show Colombo 2025 on July 25, 2025, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath, who is also the Minister for Tourism, said Sri Lanka was preparing to expand its ETA visa fee waiver to 40 countries. “The move comes after Cabinet approval last week to expand the current list of seven eligible countries to 40,” the minister told journalists.
However, whilst the announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by the media and the hospitality industry, it remains only as an announcement, as was last year’s similar declaration.
In practice, nothing else has changed No official diktat has been issued. No effective date has been confirmed by the authorities. The Sri Lankan immigration website remains unchanged, and all travelers (barring the seven eligible countries), must still apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before departure and pay the corresponding fee of USD 50.
Despite the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Board publicly announcing repeatedly in January, in March and in June that it would be launching a new destination tourism global campaign spotlighting Sri Lanka, it continues to remain just another series of announcements. The latest in this fiasco is the news that there were irregularities of the tender process that had begun nearly two years ago. The latest information is that fresh tenders will be called for by next month and the process will take a year before been rolled out.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s visitor numbers have taken a hit as a result of weak group travel numbers from China, while business and MICE-related travel has been low and is not expected to improve in the near-term.
Balance is the key
This means ensuring that different aspects of the tourism industry develop in a way that are complementary to each other and benefit the destination at place and as a whole. Achieving growth that is sustainable as well as productive must be the goal. Mindlessly chasing mass tourism will deliver high numbers and low margins. Designing to scale, and not to care, would result in destinations chasing volume with little return, communities carrying the cost, while profits leak out. It doesn’t bring better tourists, just faster turnover. The system isn’t broken. It’s just working subtly against the places it claims to help. It’s time to start redesigning. Not merely for “more,” but to grow mindfully and for true “meaning”.
Sri Lanka must take cognizance that despite having room for more visitors, capacity isn’t evenly distributed. Some specific areas do face overtourism and overvisitation - leading to infrastructure constraints, the alienating of locals and / or exerting environmental pressures, thus devaluing the overall quality of the visitor experience. Funding or recognition of pressure points, which, particularly small councils with big geographic areas are facing in terms of providing basic services for those tourists, is paramount.
The goal is growth, but not growth at all costs.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Ex-Hotelier.
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