Sri Lanka Marks World Tourism Day 2026 with Focus on Digital Technology and AI

Sri Lanka marked World Tourism Day 2026 with a national celebration focused on the role of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in the future development of the tourism industry.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath said digital technology and AI would be particularly important in taking Sri Lanka’s tourism industry forward.

He said Sri Lanka’s tourism sector could develop further as the country’s economy stabilises and its position in global peace indicators improves. He also said the tourism industry had achieved progress despite facing a number of challenges.

The Minister further said the Government had taken steps to develop the tourism industry across the country.

The national World Tourism Day 2026 celebration was held today at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo and was organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).

Minister Vijitha Herath attended the event as the chief guest. Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, SLTDA Chairman Suranjith Wevita and representatives of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management also participated.

The global theme of World Tourism Day 2026 is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.” The theme focuses on how digital technology and AI can contribute to modernising tourism, improving visitor experiences and creating new business opportunities.

The event brought together representatives from the Government, tourism industry, private sector, universities and technology sectors. Discussions highlighted the importance of digital technology and AI in modernising the tourism sector, improving tourist experiences and creating new opportunities.

A key feature of the celebration was the Tourism Start-Up Competition 2026, held under the theme “AI-Driven Innovation for the Future of Tourism.” The competition was organised in two categories and invited start-ups, entrepreneurs, university teams and school-level innovators to develop AI-powered solutions for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. The SLTDA had received applications for the competition and selected finalists to present their solutions before an expert judging panel.

The event also emphasised the importance of using AI and digital transformation to strengthen Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in tourism, improve destination management and provide more personalised experiences for visitors.

The importance of cooperation between the Government, private businesses, educational institutions and the technology community was also highlighted as part of efforts to build a sustainable and digitally empowered tourism industry.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ruwan Ranasinghe, said discussions on these developments should reach all sections of society and that knowledge about new technologies should be taken down to the school level.

He stressed that the initiatives should be implemented practically and that efforts should be directed towards the advancement of the tourism industry.

He said the Government had separately established a ministry responsible for the digital economy and that the country was working towards bringing tourism into the AI era.

Minister Vijitha Herath said Sri Lanka had faced various economic, social and political challenges but had now made progress while still having further to go.

He emphasised that digital technology and AI were extremely important for the future of tourism and said technology would play a major role in taking the industry in a new direction.

He said that, as Sri Lanka marked World Tourism Day, one of its next objectives was to overcome challenges and further develop the tourism industry through digital and AI-based technology.

According to the Minister, Sri Lanka had been able to achieve its tourism targets during the previous year and had also managed to maintain tourist arrivals despite challenges, including adverse weather conditions.

He said the country had also been able to sustain its tourism industry despite the prevailing global security situation.

The Minister further said tourist arrivals this year were at a level that could allow Sri Lanka to achieve its targets successfully, while tourism revenue had also remained positive.

He identified increasing tourist arrivals as one of the country’s key objectives for the tourism sector.