A Sri Lankan Minister on Sunday (03 March) said the country s external sector performance has seen a marked improvement year on year, with tourism fetching $342 million in January 2024, an impressive 122% jump from last year.

Sri Lanka s earnings from tourism were estimated at USD 342 million in January 2024, the Central Bank s latest report on external sector performance revealed.

Romanian Ambassador Doamna Arhire has informed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena that Romania would sign an agreement with Sri Lanka to avoid double taxation to boost the bilateral trade between the two countries. Ambassador Arhire called on Prime Minister Gunawardena at Temple Trees on Monday (26). PM Gunawardena and the Romanian envoy discussed the long-standing bilateral […]

India’s interim budget focus on poor, youth, farmers and women will not only uplift more than 60 percent of the population in India but also have a spillover effect in South Asia. It sets an example for the developing countries to uplift the downtrodden, facilitate the youth, farmers and empower the women. Overall, it will […]

Monday 26th February, 2024 Sri Lanka is a nation in the hara-kiri mode. It needs no enemies; it has become its worst enemy. It continues to maintain a bunch of failed, corrupt politicians and their bureaucratic lackeys responsible for ruining the economy and hell-bent on degrading vital national assets which they are planning to dispose […]

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya spoke to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2024 in New Delhi.Balasuriya weighed in on several issues ranging from the India-Lanka relationship, Colombo’s ties with China, tourism, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and more. While speaking on China, Balasuriya said that “both countries [&...

By Rathindra Kuruwita Until Sri Lanka has access to international money markets, which will allow it to ensure there are no short-term dollar shortages, relaxing the restrictions on vehicle imports is out of the question, Professor in Economics at the Department of Economics at Colombo University, Dr. Priyanga Dunusinghe, said. Even then, relaxing vehicle imports […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita Over 50 percent of Sri Lankan exports to Thailand are gems, and Sri Lanka doesn’t face any trade barriers when exporting precious stones, Subhashini Abeysinghe, says Research Director at Verité Research. Commenting on the recent free trade agreement between the two nations, she said in a recent television interview that Thailand imported […]

State Minister for Tourism, Diana Gamage says nightlife plays a critical role in driving economic growth, citing it as a cornerstone of the night economy. She underscored that the night economy accounts for a substantial 70% of a country s revenue, illustrating its significant contribution to national finances.

Minister of State for Tourism  Diana Gamage acknowledged that events that emanated noise should be conducted within a soundproof environment without causing any inconvenience or disturbance to other tourists who are here to relax, residents of the area and other businesses inasmuch its necessity to boost the economy by generating revenue. She made this comment […]

Following Iranian FM’s visit The Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, during high level meetings in Colombo this week, expressed hope that with this trip, the bilateral ties in all fields, including political, economic, commercial, and tourism, would be expanded. Amirabdollahian was here at the official invitation of the Sri Lankan […]

A culture-based local solution for Sri Lanka BY Prof Nimal Gunatilleke The Thirty-seventh Session of the UN-FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) is being held as a high-level Ministerial in-person event in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 19 – 22 February 2024. This was preceded by the Senior Officers Meeting (SOM) held virtually […]

Delivering a statement in Parliament today (21 Feb.), Tourism Minister Harin Fernando hit out at opposition MPs Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila over their criticism of his recent speech in India.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has reaffirmed Iran s dedication to fostering tourism to Sri Lanka and strengthening cultural ties between the two nations.

Manusha accuses Wimal of having taken parts of Fernando’s speech out of context By Saman Indrajith Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara told NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa in Parliament to refrain from taking chunks of others’ speeches out of context and misinterpreting them for political mileage. The Minister said so following concerns raised by […]

The Minister of Tourism, Harin Fernando, has stated that the Sri Lankan Government will be handing over the operation of Mattala International, Ratmalana International and Colombo International Airports to India. He has added that Sri Lanka is a part of India! Has he lost his senses? Separately, should it not be the role of the […]