Thursday Oct 09, 2025
Thursday Oct 09, 2025
Wednesday, 8 October 2025 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
SLAITO President Nalin Jayasundera
SLAITO new committee
By Charumini de Silva
The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) has urged the Government to prioritise a sustained global destination marketing campaign to help the country achieve its target of 5 million tourist arrivals and $ 10 billion in annual revenue by 2030, warning that the opportunity will slip away unless immediate action is taken.
Speaking at the 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the SLAITO, President Nalin Jayasundera emphasised that tourism, though private-sector driven, can only thrive through close collaboration with the Government and key public institutions.
He pledged the SLAITO’s full commitment to supporting national goals but stressed that marketing Sri Lanka effectively to the world remains the missing link in realising its full potential.
“Tourism can become Sri Lanka’s number one foreign exchange earner, but it will only happen if we launch a long-term global campaign—one that is fair to all stakeholders and prioritised without further delay,” Jayasundera said.
Calling for greater marketing coordination, he opined Sri Lanka must be transformed into a year-round destination, eliminating the current off-season slump.
“If we get our marketing right, there will be no off-season. Effective marketing will generate demand and ensure the right price for our products and services. Otherwise, Sri Lanka will remain the best-kept secret in world tourism,” he warned.
Jayasundera also urged the Government to create a level playing field by ensuring that all tourism-related service providers, including online platforms, are taxed equitably.
He called for State support in co-marketing initiatives with airlines and tour operators, a model successfully adopted by competing destinations to secure loyalty from key market generators.
The SLAITO President also welcomed recent Government decisions, including the establishment of a Presidential Tourism Task Force, the proposal to grant free visas to 40 countries, and the resumption of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion and the Colombo-Kandy highway; describing them as “steps in the right direction” that could accelerate growth if implemented swiftly.
In addition, Jayasundera underscored several operational and human resource challenges that must be addressed urgently to improve visitor experience and industry competitiveness. These include simplifying train ticket purchases, managing overcrowding at popular attractions, and resolving the acute shortage of foreign-language-speaking tour guides, which has forced some destination management companies (DMCs) to turn away bookings.
He revealed that the SLAITO, together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), is working to expand the pool of professional guides. To address the immediate gap, the Association has decided to increase guide fees by 55% from 1 December 2025, with official communication to follow.
Highlighting the need for sustained engagement between the public and private sectors, Jayasundera reiterated the SLAITO’s support for the joint proposal made with the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), and Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers (SLAPCEO), should a new Tourism Act be introduced.
On product development and promotion, he commended the success of ‘Sancharaka Udawa,’ the annual tourism exhibition organised by the SLAITO, noting that it achieved record participation this year. “Plans are underway to elevate the event into an international travel fair in Colombo in 2026, featuring foreign buyers,” he disclosed.
The SLAITO President stressed that the tourism industry, though highly sensitive, remains one of Sri Lanka’s strongest engines for economic recovery.
“If we work together, we will succeed together,” he said, adding that under the leadership of the Deputy Minister, they look forward to collaborating to achieve shared objectives for the nation.
