Sri Lanka is preparing to host the South East Asia Travel Mart, uniting regional tourism leaders and industry stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and position the island as a premier year-round travel destination in the region.
Speaking at the International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025, held on 2nd October 2025 at the BMICH under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Mr. Nihal Muhandiram, President of the Alumni Association of Tourism, University of Colombo and Member of the Tourism Advisory Committee, announced the initiative.
This year’s International Tourism Leaders Summit 2025 brought together a diverse spectrum of stakeholders including travel agencies, airlines, hoteliers, leading travel and aviation associations, tourism leaders and key industry decision-makers, fostering collaboration and advancing regional tourism growth. The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), led by its President, made a significant contribution to the organization of this year’s summit, with the President also taking part in the event’s proceedings.
“As tourism leaders, we aim to collaborate in organizing a Travel Mart for the South East Asian region, bringing together industry experts to further promote Destination Sri Lanka. Our country has immense potential to lead this initiative,” Mr. Muhandiram said.
He further highlighted the importance of enhancing Sri Lanka’s year-round tourism potential, stating, “We are gathered here to discuss what more we can do to position Sri Lanka as a leading tourism destination. Our island has every reason to become one of the top hotspots in the world, it has already been recognized by leading global magazines, websites and organizations.”
Mr. Muhandiram also urged tourism leaders to collaborate and work collectively to make this vision a reality. “At the end of September 2025, Sri Lanka surpassed 1.7 million tourist arrivals, marking a strong recovery for the industry. We are now on track to achieve our best year for tourism, potentially surpassing the historic 2.33 million arrivals recorded in 2018. With this strong foundation, we are confident that Sri Lanka can successfully host a South Asian Travel Mart in the near future,” he added.
