Foreign Minister Herath invites Indian filmmakers, investors to explore opportunities in Sri Lanka

Colombo, Nov 20 (PTI) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has invited Indian filmmakers and investors to consider the island nation a prime destination for film production and events, as he reaffirmed Colombo's commitment to work with India to unlock new opportunities and deepen partnership in the tourism sector.

Herath made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking at the India-Sri Lanka Tourism Connect, organised by the High Commission of India in Colombo, aimed at strengthening tourism cooperation between the two countries.

"In recent years, India has been Sri Lanka's largest source market for tourism. With excellent air connectivity and strong cultural ties, our two countries are natural travel partners,” he said.

Indian arrivals have increased in recent months, supported by the visa-free entry facility and targeted promotional campaigns. Sri Lanka remains one of the top short-haul destinations for Indian travellers.

"Given our 2,500-year relationship, we see significant opportunity in religious tourism, including the Buddhist circuits and the Ramayana trail. I also encourage more Indian filmmakers and investors to consider Sri Lanka for hospitality projects, events, and film production," Herath added.  Later, in a social media post, the minister said that at the event he reaffirmed Sri Lanka's "commitment to working together with India to unlock new opportunities and deepen our partnership in the tourism sector".

In his address at the event, Herath said that tourism was central to Sri Lanka’s economy. “This week, we welcomed our two millionth tourist, and we expect 2.4 to 2.5 million arrivals by the year-end, a historic milestone. By 2030, we aim for 4 million tourists and USD 8 billion in revenue,” he said.

To reach this goal, Sri Lanka is prioritising sustainability, market diversification, improved connectivity, and digital transformation.

"We are aligning with global trends, including the 'Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism', which supports integrating AI and digital tools into national tourism planning," he said.

Herath said that to further expand Indian tourist arrivals, Sri Lanka is focusing on city breaks, beaches, heritage routes, MICE tourism, destination weddings, film tourism, and cricket tourism.

"Our roadshows, B2B engagements, and airline partnerships across Indian cities continue to strengthen this momentum," he said.

According to the Indian High Commission, the event was attended by the tourism industry ecosystem of Sri Lanka, including the prominent outbound and inbound tour operators, hospitality leaders and media. Key experts from India, representing branding, analytics and technology, also participated. PTI CORR ZH ZH ZH