By Hiran H.Senewiratne Sri Lanka’s inflation could rise to 7 percent in January 2024 due to the VAT increase, the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe warned. Speaking at a special press briefing held yesterday, Dr. Weerasinghe explained that an increase in inflation is likely due to the increase […]

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI) hosted a panel discussion ‘Sri Lanka as a Destination: From Antiquity to Modernity’ as part of its outreach activities to promote ‘Cultural Diplomacy’ in Koggala on Saturday (13 January 2024). Held with the Indian Ocean as the backdrop at the Long Beach Hotel, Koggala, this interactive discussion was organized as […]

Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has taken steps to launch a luxury bus service, targeting foreign tourists, for the first time, according to the Ministry of Transport and Highways. The Ministry has said in a statement that the project will be implemented in the Colombo city initially covering four identified tourist circles, and the buses […]

At a discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) stakeholder dialogue titled ‘Pulling back from the brink,’ held in Kurpark Village, Aspen, President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined short-term strategies aimed at revitalizing Sri Lanka’s economy. Emphasizing tourism promotion, agricultural modernization and a focus on renewable energy, the President expressed the country’s eagerness to attract new ...

Over 100,000 tourists have arrived in Sri Lanka in the first 15 days of 2024, according to the latest statistics released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). The SLTDA weekly report on tourist arrivals, released on Tuesday (16), shows that 101,362 international visitors have arrived in the above period, and this is a […]

Distilleries acquire Heineken’s SL business for over Rs. 4 bn. Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC (DCSL) has concluded a major acquisition of the Sri Lanka operation of Heineken, a major player in the global beer industry at a consideration of Euro 12 million, (over Rs. 4.2 billion), DCSL announced last week in a stock […]

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to establish an Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan and to reopen diplomatic missions in Cyprus, Iraq, and Frankfurt in Germany, the Government Information Department said on Tuesday. The Infomation Department said in a media statement that the government had found it desirable to establish a Sri Lankan Embassy […]

By Sanath Nanayakkare When a country is in an economic crisis, it creates an environment conducive to implementing economic reforms which would be difficult to do in good times, however, it still depends on how far the reformist leaders can shape the opinion of the people and the people’s willingness to take those reforms on […]

Sri Lanka received 1,487,303 tourists in 2023, the latest statistics released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) show. This is an increase of over 100 percent in comparison to the previous year, which recorded 719,978 arrivals, the data shows. The last month alone the country saw 210,352 tourist arrivals up from 151,496 recorded in November 2023. India, Russia, United Kingdom, ...