Sri Lanka woos Russian tourists at VI International Tourism Forum “Let’s Travel! 2026”

In strengthening cooperation in the tourism sector, Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe participated in the VI International Tourism Forum “Let’s Travel! 2026,” from 10–12 June 2026 in Moscow along with an official and business delegation including nine Sri Lankan Destination Management Companies (DMCs).

The Deputy Minister held a number of high-level bilateral meetings aimed at enhancing tourism cooperation and increasing tourist arrivals from Russia to Sri Lanka. He met the Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov. Their discussions focused on strengthening tourism ties, improving connectivity, and identifying new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.

Both parties agreed also to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation to further institutionalise bilateral tourism relations. Parties also agreed to facilitate familiarisation (FAM) tours for Russian tour operators and travel agents in the premium sector, media personnel, and influencers during 2026 and 2027 to enhance destination awareness and stimulate demand for Sri Lanka in the Russian market.

The Deputy Minister also met the Sverdlovsk Region Deputy Governor Dmitry Ionin and St. Petersburg Tourism Committee Deputy Chairman Gvichiya Nana Margushevna. Discussions focused on strengthening regional tourism cooperation and expanding tourism exchanges with key Russian regions that contribute significantly to outbound tourism to Sri Lanka.

As part of the Forum’s official program, Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe participated as a panellist in two high-level sessions titled “Russia–Asia Session: Direct Flights, Simplified Visas and What This Means for the Industry” and “Tourism of International Importance: The Strategic Potential of International Cooperation.” Addressing the participants, the Deputy Minister highlighted Sri Lanka’s recently introduced 30-day free visa scheme for Russian nationals as an additional incentive for Russian travellers planning their upcoming winter holidays. He further emphasised the critical importance of direct air connectivity in promoting tourism growth and expressed appreciation to Aeroflot and Red Wings Airlines for their continued commitment to operating direct flights between Russia and Sri Lanka and underscored the role of tourism as a driver of economic growth, intercultural understanding and international cooperation.

In addition, the Deputy Minister was also interviewed by TASS and Sputnik, two prominent national media houses, where he highlighted the Government policy directions to overcome the regulatory barriers in the tourism sector to attract more Russian tourists to Sri Lanka.

The Forum served as a valuable platform for promoting Sri Lanka’s tourism prospects and fostering enhanced cooperation in the tourism sector between Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation and positioning Sri Lanka as an “All year round destination” for the Russian visitors.

On the sidelines of the Forum, several business networking and B2B meetings were organised to facilitate direct engagement between Sri Lankan tourism stakeholders and their Russian counterparts. Ambassador Shobini Gunasekera also hosted a special networking dinner at the official residence with the presence of Tourism Deputy Minister, bringing together leading Russian tour operators, travel agents, media representatives, bloggers, and airline officials. The event provided a valuable platform for Sri Lankan DMCs to establish new partnerships and strengthen existing business relationships within the Russian travel trade. Sri Lanka pavilion was also awarded first place for the most creative national pavilion at the event.

The Forum, organised by Roscongress Foundation, attracted over 430,000 visitors and served as a prominent B2C and B2B tourism platform, bringing together tourism authorities, travel trade professionals, airlines, media representatives, and travellers from Russia. The event featured extensive cultural performances representing various regions of Russia and participating countries, including Sri Lanka.

Russia remained the third most important tourism source market to Sri Lanka in 2025. According to industry reports, the Russian outbound leisure travel market exceeds 13 million travellers annually, presenting significant opportunities for Sri Lanka to further expand its market share.

Along with Deputy Minister, Ambassador Shobini Gunasekera, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Deputy Managing Director Chamila Jayaratne, First Secretary/Commercial of the Embassy Sanjeewa Bandara and SLTPB Assistant Director Sasika Jayaweera participated in this event and attended meetings with the tourism stakeholders of Russia including Government representatives in profiling Sri Lanka as a prominent “all year round” destination to the Russian market.