PM Calls for Eco-Friendly Tourism That Channels Revenue to Small Rural Businesses

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said the government’s main objective is to promote an environmentally friendly tourism sector that protects the environment and cultural heritage, empowers local communities, and ensures that tourism revenue reaches small-scale entrepreneurs in rural areas.

She made these remarks while participating in the Western Province celebration of World Tourism Day 2026.

A national conference titled “Digital Innovation for Sustainable Culture-Based Tourism” was held on September 27 at the Western Provincial Council Auditorium. The event was jointly organised by the Western Province Tourism Board and the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology of the University of Kelaniya. The 2026 World Tourism Day theme is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”

During the event, the Prime Minister presented awards and certificates to students who achieved success in the digital competition organised by the Western Province Tourism Board for school travel and tourism clubs.

A new Smart Tourism Platform developed jointly by the Western Province Tourism Board and Sri Lanka Telecom for the community-based sustainable tourism village of Alawala in Gampaha District was also launched during the conference.

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Amarasuriya said Sri Lanka possesses a unique heritage shaped by centuries of human creativity, knowledge, traditional practices and cultural diversity. She stressed that protecting this heritage and using it to contribute actively to the country’s social and economic development is a national responsibility.

She said a key objective of the government’s “A Rich Country – A Beautiful Life” policy programme is to strengthen the economy through modern technology and meaningful reforms across sectors.

According to the Prime Minister, Sri Lanka welcomed more than 2.05 million tourists in 2024, generating approximately US$3.17 billion in tourism revenue. In 2025, tourist arrivals increased to 2,362,521, generating approximately US$3.22 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

The government aims to attract 4 million tourists annually and generate US$8 billion in tourism revenue by 2030. This target is also reflected in Sri Lanka’s 2026 Budget tourism strategy.

The Prime Minister said achieving this target requires the knowledge held by universities and research institutions to be directly applied to the development of the tourism sector. She also stressed the need for the public and private sectors, universities and heritage-conservation stakeholders to work together to turn innovations into practical solutions.

She said young people and schoolchildren should be equipped with knowledge of digital technology, creativity and Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage, describing this as an important foundation for a sustainable tourism industry in the future.

She also said the government would give greater attention to tourism through new education reforms and encouraged schoolchildren to consider tourism as an important career field for the future.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya reiterated that the government’s priority is to develop an environmentally friendly tourism industry that does not damage the environment or cultural heritage while empowering local communities. She said the benefits of tourism revenue should reach small entrepreneurs in villages in a fair manner.

Representatives of the tourism sector, including Colombo District Tourism Subcommittee Chairperson MP Lakmali Hemachandra, Kalutara District Tourism Subcommittee Chairperson MP Chandima Hettiarachchi, Western Province Ministry Secretary A.S.D. Sadeeka, and Western Province Tourism Board Chairman Dr. Mahesh Priyadarshana, along with tourism and archaeology scholars, public- and private-sector representatives, researchers and schoolchildren, attended the event.