Sri Lanka to launch global tourism campaign by year-end; interim market blitz begins in August

Sri Lanka’s long-awaited Rs. 3.5 billion global destination branding campaign is on track for launch by the end of this year or early 2027, with tourism authorities preparing to roll out interim market-specific promotional campaigns from next month to sustain international visibility ahead of the peak winter travel season.

Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe yesterday said the global campaign is progressing as planned, with preparatory work now entering its final stages.

Ahead of the full international rollout, Sri Lanka Tourism will launch targeted digital marketing and public relations campaigns in Germany, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in August before expanding to India, China, and Russia in September. Campaigns targeting France, South Korea, and the Netherlands will follow thereafter.

“We are moving ahead with interim market-specific campaigns while preparations for the global destination branding campaign continue. The objective is to maintain Sri Lanka’s presence in key markets until the global campaign is launched,” Prof. Ranasinghe said.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam described the initiative as a major milestone in repositioning Sri Lanka in the global tourism marketplace.

He said the campaign is strategically designed to help the country achieve its long-term goal of attracting 5 million tourist arrivals and generating $ 8 billion in tourism earnings by 2030.

“The upcoming campaigns represent a significant shift from isolated market promotions to a synchronised global marketing strategy targeting high-value source markets ahead of the crucial winter travel season,” Hewawasam said.

To support the international rollout, the SLTPB has completed or is finalising procurement for several high-value overseas marketing contracts.

SLTPB Managing Director Sanjaya Niroshan said procurement for the Australia and New Zealand campaigns has been completed, with contracts expected to be awarded next week.

He said procurement for Germany and the UK is in its final stages, enabling campaigns in those markets to commence by early August. 

“For France, South Korea, and the Netherlands, bids have already been called. The tenders are expected to close during the first week of August, allowing evaluations to be completed and contracts awarded in September,” he added.

Niroshan also revealed that the SLTPB is receiving technical assistance from the World Bank to implement the global branding campaign, acknowledging that the Bureau staff lacks prior experience in executing a campaign of such international scale.

“We do not have previous experience in conducting a campaign of this magnitude. Therefore, with World Bank support, we are recruiting specialist consultants to ensure international best practices are followed,” he said.

The consultants will cover key areas including legal services, digital marketing, and other specialist disciplines required for the campaign.

Addressing recent industry concerns over procurement timelines, Niroshan clarified that the proposal to shorten bidding periods from the standard 42 days to 14 days applies only to the local interim promotional campaigns that require immediate activation to capture upcoming travel booking windows.

He said the SLTPB recently sought Cabinet approval for the expedited process, but the Procurement Committee advised the Bureau to continue following the standard 42-day procurement procedure.

“The expedited process is intended only for the local campaigns where timing is critical. For the larger international campaigns, we will continue with the normal procurement process to ensure transparency and international competition,” he explained.

Tourism authorities believe the dual-track approach will allow Sri Lanka to respond quickly to immediate marketing opportunities, while maintaining robust procurement standards for its flagship global destination branding campaign.