Tourism in Sri Lanka faces many challenges, including the ongoing economic and political crisis. In 2018, tourist arrivals peaked at 2.5 million, who spent a total of US$ 5.6 billion in the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused tourist numbers to decrease by 92% in 2020. As of 2022, tourist numbers have not rebounded from the pre-crisis high. The government is attempting to attract foreign investment in the country's tourism industry, which began in earnest after the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009.
The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. It is located on Galle Road, Colombo. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. The hotel is a member of Select Hotels and Resorts International. The current chairman of the hotel is Sanjeev Gardiner, since the demise of his father Cyril Gardiner in 1997. It is listed as one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" in the book of the same name. It received the "Best Heritage Hotel" title three years running at the Presidential Awards for Travel and Tourism, held in June 2010, June 2011 and September 2012. In addition it won the first-ever PATA award for Best International Heritage Hotel, in 2012. In September 2012, it became the first hotel in Sri Lanka to be featured on a postage stamp, along with three other iconic buildings in Colombo.
The Grand Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, that was built in the style of an Elizabethan-era manor house. The hotel has 154 rooms, including three presidential suites, four junior suites, including a governor's suite that have been maintained to preserve the traditional design. The Grand Hotel has a number of restaurants, bars and a billiards room.
Aitken Spence PLC is a Sri Lankan blue chip conglomerate with operations in South Asia, Middle East, Africa and Pacific. Listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1983, it has major interests in hotels, travel, maritime services and logistics. The group also has a significant presence in printing, plantation, power generation, financial services, IT, Business Process Outsourcing/Knowledge Process Outsourcing sector, elevator agency services, garments, and property development.
The Kandy House is a nine-room, 200-year-old manor house which was built by the last Chief Minister of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1804. It was fully restored and opened in 2005 as an upmarket boutique hotel, situated 20 minutes from Kandy. Described as a "showcase of the island's architectural renaissance", it has established a reputation as "the best small hotel in Sri Lanka".
Nalaka Godahewa, MP is a Sri Lankan politician, former Cabinet Minister, and former corporate executive. He served as the Minister of Mass Media from the 18th of April 2022 until his resignation on the 9th of May 2022. Prior to that he was the State Minister Urban Development since August 2020 In addition to this, he is a member of parliament for the Gampaha District. He had served as the Chairman, Securities Exchange Commission ; Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism (2010–2012); and Managing Director, Sri Lanka Insurance (2006–2009).
Soma Edirisinghe was a Sri Lankan corporate executive, film producer, philanthropist and social worker. She was born in Meegoda, Sri Lanka on 5 July 1939 to a family of nine daughters, and died on 5 November 2015 at a private hospital in Colombo. She was married to EAP Edirisinghe and they had four children: three sons, Jeewaka, Nalaka and Asanka, and a daughter, Deepa.
Velayutham Dayanidhi was a leading member and media spokesman for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.
General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, WWV, RWP and three Bars, RSP, USP is a former senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 2013 to 2015. Following his retirement from the army, he served as the Chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Secretary to the Ministry of Industriesiy.
Major General Ananda Sri Sisira Kumara Hamangoda, RWP, RSP, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who was the former brigade commander of the 51-2 Brigade based in Jaffna, when he was killed by a LTTE female suicide bomber.
Jetwing Hotels Limited is a Sri Lankan hotel chain. Jetwing was founded in the 1970s by Herbert Cooray when he purchased the Blue Oceanic Hotel in Negombo from its Swedish owner Vingressor and renamed it Jetwing. Cooray founded Jetwing Travels in 1981. Jetwing Hotels' current chairman, Hiran Cooray, is the son of Herbert Cooray. Jetwing Symphony acts as the holding company for the new hotel of the Jetwing Group.
Mohammed Wasim Thajudeen was a Sri Lankan rugby union player who played for Havelock Sports Club and the national team. Thajudeen was killed in a car crash which was initially pronounced to be an accident but is currently being investigated as a murder.
The deputy speaker and chairman of committees is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka who presides over sittings of Parliament in the absence of the Speaker. The current deputy speaker and chairman of committees is Ajith Rajapaksa.
Ashan Dias is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. Started as a newscaster in MBC Networks, Dias turned to be a character actor with several critically acclaimed roles in films such as Alimankada, Sarigama and Vijayaba Kollaya.
Janaka Ratnayake is a Sri Lankan businessperson and presidential candidate currently serving as the Chairman of Trillium Property Management and Services Ltd, City Housing and Real Estate PLC, Trillium Residencies Pvt Ltd, and Rent A Comp Pvt Ltd. He served as the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka from 2021 until he was ousted in 2023. He is the former chairman and chief executive of Export Development Board of Sri Lanka (EDB), Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL), Merchant Credit Sri Lanka (MCSL), MBSL Savings Bank, and MBSL Insurance.
Deshashakthi Deshabandu Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Thilak Kumara Rathnayake [Sinhala]), popularly known as Thilak Kumara Rathnayake, is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. One of the most popular television actors in Sri Lanka, Rathnayake is most notable for the trade mark role "Somadasa" in the television serial Kopi Kade. Apart from acting, he is a well known announcer and host in outdoor musical shows.
Amaya Resorts & Spas, trading as Hayleys Leisure PLC, is a Sri Lankan hospitality company. The company is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange on 11 March 1996 and Sri Lankan conglomerate, Hayleys owns a controlling stake of 61.66% of the company's stocks. In 2020, Amaya Resorts & Spas ranked 87th amongst the top 100 most valuable brands in Sri Lanka by Brand Finance.
The Fortress Resort & Spa, traded as The Fortress Resorts PLC, is a luxury boutique hotel in Koggala, Sri Lanka. The resort was incorporated in 1973. The resort is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In 2003, Sri Lankan entrepreneur, Dhammika Perera acquired a controlling stake in the resort. The resort was formerly known as Club Horizon Hotel, Koggala and was renamed to its current name in the same year. The hotel was affected by the 2019 Easter bombings. The resort is designed like a fortress to enclose a Dutch-era villa.
Heritance Kandalama, formerly known as the Kandalama Hotel, is a luxury five-star hotel in Kandalama, Sri Lanka, approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) south-east of Sigiriya. The hotel was built in 1991 and designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The hotel is owned and operated by Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings under its luxury hotel chain, Heritance Hotels and Resorts.
