Sri Lanka Mega Roadshow 2026 Achieves Remarkable Success In Seoul, Strengthening Tourism, Cultural And Buddhist Ties Between Sri Lanka And South Korea
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The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), in collaboration with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Republic of Korea, successfully concluded the Sri Lanka Mega Roadshow 2026 at the prestigious Lotte Hotel Seoul on 08 June 2026, further strengthening tourism, cultural, and spiritual ties between Sri Lanka and South Korea.
The high-profile event brought together more than 200 tourism stakeholders, travel trade representatives, media personnel, airline partners, and Buddhist religious leaders from both countries, providing a dynamic platform to promote Sri Lanka as a premier destination for leisure, culture, wellness, nature, and Buddhist pilgrimage tourism.
The Roadshow was graced by several distinguished guests, including His Excellency Mr. Pathmanathan, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Korea; Most Venerable Jin Seong, Director of International and Social Affairs of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; Most Venerable Dr. Thalgamuwe Dhammakitti Nayaka Thero, Chief Sanghanayaka of Korea; Mr. Sanjaya Niroshana, Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB); Ms. Tae-Sook Cho, Chairperson of the Seoul Tourism Association; Mr. John Park, Chairman & CEO of Pacific Air Agency, General Sales Agent (GSA) for SriLankan Airlines in South Korea; Mr. Shin Joong-Mok, Chairman of the KOTFA, and Seoul International Travel Fair , Ms. Chandima Abeyrathna, Minister (Commercial), Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Republic of Korea, Mr. Chammika Iddagoda, Country Manager – South Korea, Sri Lankan Airlines; and Ms. Thanuja Muniweera, Deputy Director – Advertising & Marketing and Country Manager – South Korea, SLTPB.
A key highlight of this year’s Roadshow was the participation of Most Venerable Jin Seong, Director of International and Social Affairs of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, who was accorded special VVIP recognition following an invitation coordinated through the efforts of Most Venerable Dr. Thalgamuwe Dhammakitti Nayaka Thero, Chief Sanghanayaka of Korea. His esteemed presence symbolized the enduring Buddhist and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea and reinforced ongoing efforts to position Sri Lanka as a leading destination for Korean Buddhist pilgrims and spiritual travelers. The participation of the Jogye Order further strengthened opportunities for enhanced religious, cultural, and pilgrimage exchanges between the two nations while highlighting Sri Lanka’s rich Buddhist heritage and sacred sites to the Korean market.
The event commenced with traditional Sri Lankan ceremonial proceedings, including the Oil Lamp Lighting Ceremony, followed by captivating cultural performances by the official SLTPB cultural troupe from Ranga Gamage Dance Studio, showcasing the island's rich heritage and vibrant traditions.
A total of 25 Sri Lankan travel and tourism industry representatives participated in the Roadshow, engaging in extensive Business-to-Business (B2B) networking meetings with Korean travel agencies, tour operators, online travel agencies (OTAs), airline representatives, and media organizations. The sessions generated strong interest in Sri Lanka and created valuable opportunities for future partnerships and increased visitor arrivals from South Korea.
Delivering the welcome address, His Excellency Mr. Pathmanathan highlighted the growing friendship between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea and underscored the importance of tourism as a bridge connecting the people, cultures, and economies of the two nations.
Mr. Sanjaya Niroshana, Managing Director of SLTPB, reaffirmed Sri Lanka Tourism's commitment to the Korean market and emphasized ongoing efforts to expand tourism partnerships, diversify tourism products, and enhance destination awareness among Korean travelers.
During his destination presentation, Mr. Niroshana highlighted Sri Lanka's diverse tourism offerings, including cultural heritage attractions, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Ayurveda and wellness experiences, wildlife and nature tourism, adventure activities, pristine beaches, sustainable tourism initiatives, and Buddhist pilgrimage circuits. He further emphasized that Sri Lanka's visa-free entry policy for South Korean nationals has significantly enhanced the destination's attractiveness and accessibility. Combined with direct SriLankan Airlines connectivity between Incheon and Colombo, Korean travelers can now enjoy a seamless and convenient journey to Sri Lanka.
He noted that these favorable travel conditions are expected to contribute significantly to the growth of Korean tourist arrivals and further strengthen tourism exchanges and people-to-people connections between the two countries. He also highlighted that the visa-free initiative presents a timely opportunity to position Sri Lanka as a competitive and convenient long-haul destination for Korean travelers seeking authentic cultural experiences, wellness and Ayurveda retreats, nature and wildlife adventures, as well as Buddhist pilgrimage and spiritual tourism experiences.
A special presentation on air connectivity and travel opportunities was delivered by Mr. Chammika Iddagoda, Country Manager – South Korea, SriLankan Airlines, highlighting the airline's continued commitment to supporting tourism growth between Sri Lanka and South Korea through direct connectivity and enhanced travel convenience.
Delivering the appreciation remarks, Ms. Thanuja Muniweera, Deputy Director – Advertising & Marketing and Country Manager – South Korea, SLTPB, expressed her sincere gratitude to all VVIPs, VIPs, travel trade partners, media representatives, airline partners, Buddhist clergy, and participants for their invaluable support in making the Roadshow a resounding success. She particularly emphasized the significance of strengthening Buddhist and cultural exchanges between Sri Lanka and Korea and encouraged Korean travelers to explore Sri Lanka's sacred Buddhist heritage, spiritual traditions, and unique cultural experiences.
As a special feature of the event, SriLankan Airlines, in collaboration with SLTPB, presented Special Appreciation Awards to five leading Korean travel agencies in recognition of their exceptional contribution to promoting Sri Lanka and consistently generating significant tourist arrivals from South Korea. The awards celebrated their dedication, long-standing partnerships, and valuable role in strengthening tourism exchanges between the two countries.
The Sri Lanka Mega Roadshow 2026 successfully reinforced Sri Lanka's position as a preferred destination for Korean travelers while highlighting the country's commitment to sustainable tourism development, cultural preservation, and the promotion of Buddhist pilgrimage tourism.
As Sri Lanka continues to strengthen its presence in the Korean market, the island nation warmly welcomes Korean travelers to discover its rich cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, renowned hospitality, and profound spiritual experiences.
ශ්රී ලංකාව සෑම විටම කටයුතු කරන්නේ මධ්යස්ථව සහ ජාත්යන්තර නීතියට අනුකූලවයි - අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත්
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ශ්රී ලංකාව සෑම විටම මධ්යස්ථව සහ ජාත්යන්තර නීතියට අනුකූලව කටයුතු කරන බව විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා පෙන්වා දුන්නේ ය. ඔහු මේ බව කියා සිටියේ දකුණු සහ මධ්යම ආසියානු කටයුතු පිළිබඳ එක්සත් ජනපද සහකාර රාජ්ය ලේකම් එස්. පෝල් කපූර් මහතා සමඟ අමාත්යාංශයේ දී පැවැති සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමිනි.
මෙම සාකච්ඡාව අතරතුර, ඇමෙරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදය ශ්රී ලංකාවට ලබා දෙන නිරන්තර සහය පිළිබඳව අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා සිය ඇගයීම පළ කළේ ය. විශේෂයෙන් මැදපෙරදිග පැවැති යුදමය වාතාවරණය හමුවේ ශ්රී ලංකාවට ඉන්ධන ලබා ගැනීමට ලබා දුන් සහය පිළිබඳව අමාත්යවරයා ස්තුතිය පළ කළ අතර, ශ්රී ලංකා නාවික හමුදාවට සහ ගුවන් හමුදාවට ප්රදානය කරන ලද මුහුදු යාත්රා සහ ගුවන් යානා වෙනුවෙන් ද රජයේ කෘතඥතාව පිරිනැමීය.
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ආරක්ෂිත හා ආයෝජන හිතකාමී පරිසරයක් නිර්මාණය වී ඇති බැවින් ඇමෙරිකානු ආයෝජකයන්ට ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ව්යාපාර කටයුතු සඳහා ආරාධනා කරන බව සහ ඒ සඳහා අවශ්ය පහසුකම් සැලසීමට රජය උනන්දුවෙන් කටයුතු කරන බව ද අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා පෝල් කපූර් මහතා වෙත වැඩිදුරටත් දැන්වූවේ ය.
එක්සත් ජනපද සහකාර රාජ්ය ලේකම් එස්. පෝල් කපූර් මහතා මෙහිදී අදහස් දක්වමින් කියා සිටියේ ශ්රී ලංකාව සහ ඇමෙරිකාව අතර පවතින සබඳතාව ඉහළින්ම අගය කරන බවයි. එමෙන් ම මෙම හමුව අතරතුර දී වර්තමානයේ ආරම්භ වී ඇති ඇමෙරිකා - ඉරාන ගිවිසුම පිළිබඳව ද දෙපාර්ශවය අතර අදහස් හුවමාරු වූ අතර, එම ගිවිසුමේ සාර්ථකත්වය වෙනුවෙන් අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා සිය සුබපැතුම් එක් කළේ ය. එමෙන් ම එළඹෙන ජුලි 04 වන දින සැමරීමට නියමිත 250 වන ඇමරිකානු නිදහස් සැමරුම වෙනුවෙන් ද ඇමරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදයට සහ එරට වැසියන්ට අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා සුබපැතුවේ ය.
Sri Lanka Tourism Wins Four Prestigious International Awards at SITF 2026 in South Korea
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Sri Lanka Tourism achieved outstanding international recognition at the 41st Seoul International Travel Fair (SITF 2026), held from 4–7 June 2026 at COEX, Seoul, South Korea, securing four prestigious awards that highlight the country's growing prominence on the global tourism stage.
A major highlight of Sri Lanka's participation was the conferment of the 2026 SITF Eminent Tourism Pioneer Award on Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, in recognition of his exceptional leadership, vision, and contributions to the development and promotion of Sri Lanka's tourism industry. The award was presented during the SITF Gala Night Gathering, attended by international tourism leaders, policymakers, and industry representatives.
The award is granted following a rigorous annual evaluation conducted by the SITF Tourism Award Committee, which assesses both academic contributions and industry impact in the global tourism sector. In 2026, only six individuals—three from Korea and three international personalities—were selected for this distinguished recognition. Notably, Prof. Ranasinghe became the first Sri Lankan in the 41-year history of SITF to receive this honour, marking a historic milestone for Sri Lanka Tourism.
In addition to this individual recognition, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) received three major awards for its destination marketing and exhibition excellence:
- Best Popular Booth Award
- Best Booth Design Award
- Best Performance Award
The Sri Lanka Pavilion attracted thousands of visitors through authentic cultural experiences, interactive displays, and renowned Sri Lankan hospitality. Its award-winning design, inspired by Sri Lanka's rich cultural heritage and traditional Embekke wood carvings, effectively showcased the country's diverse tourism offerings. Meanwhile, vibrant performances by traditional dancers and drummers captivated audiences throughout the exhibition, earning Sri Lanka the Best Performance Award.
These awards were presented during the SITF 2026 Closing Ceremony on 7 June 2026. Competing among tourism organizations and destinations from approximately 40 participating countries, Sri Lanka's success stands as a significant endorsement of the country's excellence in destination marketing, cultural presentation, and visitor engagement.
Commenting on the recognition, Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe stated: "It is my great privilege to receive the SITF Eminent Tourism Pioneer Award. This honour reflects not only a personal achievement but also Sri Lanka's growing recognition as a premier travel destination. I extend my sincere gratitude to all those who continue to support and promote tourism as a force for global connection and prosperity. Together, we will continue working to elevate Sri Lanka's tourism industry and share our island's unique experiences with the world."
These achievements reinforce Sri Lanka's position as one of Asia's most attractive and diverse travel destinations and demonstrate the country's commitment to sustainable tourism development, cultural excellence, innovation, and international collaboration.
Sri Lanka's Awards at SITF 2026
- SITF Eminent Tourism Pioneer Award – Hon. Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism
- Best Popular Booth Award
- Best Booth Design Award
- Best Performance Award
The four prestigious recognitions mark one of Sri Lanka Tourism's most successful international promotional achievements in 2026 and further strengthen the country's reputation as a leading global tourism destination
Sri Lanka’s Participation at the Let’s Travel International Tourism Forum (ITF) 2026, Moscow, Russian Federation.
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The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) successfully participated in the 6th Let’s Travel International Tourism Forum (ITF) 2026, held from 10–14 June at the VDNH Exhibition Complex in Moscow, the largest outdoor exhibition venue in the city. Hon. Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, SLTPB Deputy Managing Director Mr. Chamila Jayarathna, and Assistant Director Marketing Ms. Sasika Jayaweera represented Sri Lanka, joined by H.E. Ambassador Ms. Shobini Gunasekera and First Secretary Commercial Mr. Sanjeewa Bandara. The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka and the Roscongress Foundation extended strong support to ensure the delegation’s successful participation.
Recognized as one of Russia’s premier tourism events, ITF 2026 attracted over 511,000 visitors, 180 country and regional stands, and 574 organizations. Sri Lanka was honoured with the Let’s Travel First-Degree Laureate Award among 12 international participants, a recognition that underscores the country’s rising profile in the global tourism arena.
Strengthening Bilateral Relations
The Forum provided a vital platform to deepen tourism and economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Russia. Prof. Ranasinghe met Hon. Deputy Minister of Economic Development Mr. Dmitry Vakhrukov and senior officials from St. Petersburg and Sverdlovsk Region, initiating discussions on destination promotion, familiarization tours, regional outreach, and enhanced air connectivity. These engagements laid the groundwork for stronger collaboration and highlighted Sri Lanka’s readiness to expand its presence in the Russian market.
The Deputy Minister also contributed to two high-level panel discussions on “Direct flights, simplified visas and what this means for the industry” and “Tourism of national importance: The strategic potential of international cooperation.” His interventions emphasized Sri Lanka’s commitment to facilitating travel and building long-term partnerships.
Media & Promotion
Exclusive interviews with TASS and Sputnik News Agencies — two of Russia’s most influential media outlets — provided valuable exposure for Sri Lanka’s tourism offerings. These engagements allowed Sri Lanka to communicate its diverse attractions directly to Russian audiences, enhancing destination visibility and brand awareness.
Destination Pavilion Highlights
Sri Lanka’s pavilion emerged as one of the most attractive international exhibits, featuring elephant structures, traditional cultural performances, authentic Ceylon tea experiences, and promotional materials showcasing beaches, wildlife, wellness, and adventure tourism. The stand drew significant visitor traffic, with many repeat travelers sharing positive experiences, reinforcing strong destination recall and loyalty among Russian consumers.
Consumer & Business Engagements
Thousands of visitors engaged directly with Sri Lanka’s pavilion, seeking information on future travel opportunities. B2B sessions connected Sri Lankan travel partners with outbound tour operators across eight Russian regions, expanding opportunities beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg. These interactions supported diversification, product development, and collaborative marketing initiatives aimed at increasing arrivals from Russia.
Conclusion
Sri Lanka’s participation at ITF 2026 strengthened bilateral tourism ties, enhanced destination visibility, and reinforced its position as a year-round holiday destination. Against a competitive backdrop with countries such as Myanmar and Thailand also promoting their products, Sri Lanka’s pavilion stood out for its cultural vibrancy and authentic branding, underscoring the importance of sustained promotional efforts in the Russian market.
SRI LANKA EXPO 2027 ජාත්යන්තර ප්රදර්ශනය පිළිබඳ රාජ්යතාන්ත්රිකයන් දැනුවත් කිරීමේ විශේෂ වැඩසටහනක් විදේශ අමාත්යාංශයේදී පැවැත්විණි
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ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ආයෝජන වැඩි කිරීමට සහ ආයෝජකයින් ලංකාවට ගෙන්වා ගැනීම අරමුණු කරගනිමින් සංවිධානය කරනු ලබන "SRI LANKA EXPO" ප්රදර්ශනය පිළිබඳව රාජ්යතාන්ත්රිකයන් දැනුවත් කිරීමේ විශේෂ වැඩසටහනක් ඊයේ පස්වරු (ජුනි 12) විදේශ අමාත්යාංශයේදී පැවැත්විණි. 2027 ජනවාරි 14 සිට 17 දක්වා BMICH හි පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත මෙය වසර 15කට පසුව පැවැත්වෙන අතර මෙම SRI LANKA EXPO ප්රදර්ශනය මින් ඉදිරියට වසර දෙකට වරක් පැවැත්වීමට අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ.
මෙම දැනුවත් කිරීමේ වැඩසටහන විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා, කර්මාන්ත අමාත්ය සුනිල් හඳුන්නෙත්ති මහතා සහ කර්මාන්ත හා ව්යවසායකත්ව සංවර්ධන නියෝජ්ය අමාත්ය චතුරංග අබේසිංහ මහතා යන අමාත්යවරුන්ගේ ප්රධානත්වයෙන් පැවැත්විණි. මීට අමතරව අදාළ අමාත්යාංශ දෙකෙහිම ලේකම්වරුන්, ජ්යෙෂ්ඨ නිලධාරීන්, ශ්රී ලංකා අපනයන සංවර්ධන මණ්ඩලයේ සභාපති සහ ප්රධාන විධායක නිලධාරී මෙන්ම ශ්රී ලංකා ආයෝජන මණ්ඩලයේ සභාපතිවරයා ද මෙම අවස්ථාවට සම්බන්ධ වූහ.
මෙම හමුව සඳහා කොළඹ පිහිටි තානාපති කාර්යාල සහ මහකොමසාරිස් කාර්යාල නියෝජනය කරමින් දූත මණ්ඩල ප්රධානීන් රැසක් සම්බන්ධ වූහ. මීට අමතරව නවදිල්ලිය, ඩකා සහ ඉස්ලාමාබාද් පදනම් කරගත් ශ්රී ලංකාවට අනුයුක්ත දූත මණ්ඩල ප්රධානීන් ද මාර්ගගතව මෙම වැඩසටහන සමඟ සජීවීව සම්බන්ධ වී සිටියහ.
මෙම Expo Sri Lanka ප්රදර්ශනය සඳහා ලොව පුරා සිටින ව්යාපාරිකයන් සහ ආයෝජකයන් ඇතුළු 1,500ක පමණ පිරිසක් පැමිණීමට අපේක්ෂා කරන අතර, මේ වන විටත් ඉන් සැලකිය යුතු ප්රමාණයකගේ සහභාගීත්වය තහවුරු කර ඇත. මෙරට ප්රමුඛ පෙළේ අපනයනකරුවන්ගේ කුටි මෙන්ම ජාත්යන්තර ප්රදර්ශන කුටි ඇතුළුව සමස්ත ප්රදර්ශන කුටි 700කට අධික ප්රමාණයක් මෙහිදී පැවැත්වීමට කටයුතු සූදානම් කර ඇත. ඊයේ පැවැති මෙම වැඩසටහනේ ප්රධාන අරමුණ වූයේ එම රටවලින් ව්යාපාරිකයන් සහ ආයෝජකයන් ගෙන්වා ගැනීම වෙනුවෙන් රාජ්යතාන්ත්රිකයන් දැනුවත් කිරීමයි.
