Sri Lanka bets on digital storytelling to woo year-round tourists
Daily FT: Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is turning to digital storytelling in a bid to position itself as a year-round travel destination, with the new tourism campaign ‘Sri Lanka, A Story for Every Season’ expected to generate over Rs. 32 million in media exposure and engage over 2.2 million travel enthusiasts worldwide.
The recently unveiled SLTPB’s first large-scale summer-focused influencer initiative, partnered with an exclusive group of international travel influencers and content creators to showcase the country’s diverse attractions.
The campaign aims to expand Sri Lanka’s footprint in key travel markets, including the UK, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Portugal, the US, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia—leveraging the global reach of digital media to inspire future travellers.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe underscored the importance to position Sri Lanka as a year-round travel destination
“Sri Lanka is striving to establish itself as a 365-day destination. Tourism plays a vital role in our economy, and the Government is working diligently to enhance infrastructure and services to support its growth. We want the world to recognise that regardless of the season—there is always something to experience in Sri Lanka. Marco polo once described Sri Lanka as ‘the finest island nations in the world’. While many destinations boast individual attractions, Sri Lanka uniquely offers diverse experiences—beaches, wildlife, heritage and adventure—all within a compact area,” he said.
Explaining that tourism is evolving and in this digital age, he acknowledged that content creation has become the driving force behind it—without high-quality digital content and influence of bloggers, vloggers and media personalities, destinations struggle to gain global recognition.
“Tourism is more than just a commercial industry, tourism is about human connection. It is about bringing people together, fostering cultural understanding and creating lasting memories. Your efforts to showcase our country to the world help us achieve that vision,” Prof. Ranasinghe said.
SLTPB Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam outlined the transformative role of digital content in modern tourism, highlighting the industry’s shift towards high-impact social media engagement.
“Today, digital content creation has become the new norm for promoting destinations worldwide. Global tourism is heavily influenced by digital storytellers—content creators, bloggers, vloggers and media professionals, who shape perceptions and inspire travellers.
The influence of these extends beyond boundaries to a global audience, reaching people who speak the same language, share similar interests and seek immersive travel experiences. Our goal is to create a platform that enables you to take Sri Lanka’s story to the world,” he said.
He said the Bureau believes that through strategic content creation and global exposure, Sri Lanka can be positioned as a top travel destination.
“We are committed to showcasing the country’s uniqueness through compelling digital narratives and real experiences,” Hewawasam added.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities are on a continuous lookout for new tourism concepts and promotional campaigns to further expand the steadily growing tourism industry. The local tourism industry has become a key revenue generator to the country with the Sri Lankan government also pinning much hope on the further expansion of the industry. All these developments have resulted in the overall expansion of the tourism industry presenting many business/investment opportunities in the industry and related sectors. These opportunities range from technological advancements to the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure development sectors to meet the expanding tourism concepts and increasing demand. The increasing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is evident by the interest shown by international leisure and hospitality brands in entering the industry as well as the many expansion programmes undertaken by leisure and hospitality businesses already operating in the country. Given the growth and business potential in Sri Lanka, which is identified as a must visit tourist destination, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the growing business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250402/Z_1 |