Germany and Sri Lanka eye tourism expansion
EconomyNext: The Sri Lankan-German Tourism Conference 2025 focused on building partnerships and advancing sustainable, innovative tourism, the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka), which hosted it, said.
The conference convened industry experts, government officials, and tourism professionals.
Organized under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s (BMWE) Market Entry Program (MEP), the conference “focused on forging partnerships and promoting sustainable and innovative tourism development,” AHK Sri Lanka said.
“Germany remains one of Sri Lanka’s most important tourism source markets, and this conference underscores the potential for collaboration in making Sri Lanka an even stronger destination for German travelers,” said Martin Klose, Chief Delegate of AHK Sri Lanka.
The program featured two panel discussions, expert presentations, and company pitches highlighting new opportunities for cooperation.
Panel 1 explored what German travelers expect and how Sri Lanka can meet these needs, with contributions from Siddhalepa Ayurveda, Hilton Colombo Residences, Aitken Spence Travels, and AHK Sri Lanka.
Panel 2, titled “Sri Lanka: The New Sustainable Bali?”, addressed regenerative tourism with leading operators including The Curious Experience, Kitesurfing Lanka, Walkers Tours and Cinnamon Life.
Company pitches by the German delegates of AquaRockBag, Claussen Holding GmbH, mascontour GmbH, SUNSET Energietechnik GmbH, Suvarivi Ayurveda Resort (Pvt) Ltd, and the sole proprietor Mareike Brandt showcased solutions for tourism, while expert talks covered MICE tourism potential, training and education, AI applications, and diversity & inclusion in tourism.
A regional spotlight on Jaffna highlighted untapped opportunities in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
The conference “served as a dynamic platform to strengthen bilateral cooperation, positioning Sri Lanka as a sustainable, forward-looking destination for German travelers,” AHK Sri Lanka said.
OSL take:
With Sri Lanka’s tourism industry on a steady growth path showing an increasing business potential, there’s keen interest among foreign businesses/investors to explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in the country’s tourism industry and related sectors. With Sri Lanka being identified as a must visit tourist destination and ‘the new Bali,’ there has been a steady flow of foreign tourists to the country while local tourism authorities have taken steps to introduce new tourism concepts to attract more foreign travelers to the country. However, all this growth in tourist arrivals to the country has opened a host of business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and related sectors. These opportunities are manifold and include the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities. The increasing growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is evident by the interest shown by many international leisure and hospitality brands to enter the country while many other foreign businesses/investors have expressed interest in setting up tourist attractions in line with the increasing tourism concepts. Given all these developments, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and related sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250918/Z_2 |