Adani Group to manage three international airports in Sri Lanka
Fernando said attracting even a small percentage of India’s 50 million tourists would yield major dividends for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector
India’s Adani Group will manage three key international airports in Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan minister said in remarks published on Friday.
The airports are Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake near Colombo, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in the southern town of Hambantota and a smaller international airport at Ratmalana in Colombo.
Tourism and Lands Minister Harin Fernando announced this during the Sri Lanka Tourism Networking Evening held in Mumbai, underscoring the government’s commitment to boost infrastructure and strengthen closer ties with India, the Daily FT newspaper reported.
The decision, Fernando said, holds transformative potential for Sri Lanka’s tourism and aviation sector. “Indian companies are going to take over three of our major airports, which is going to be a phenomenal decision for us,” he said, adding the move was initiated to facilitate the growing number of travellers.
Tapping market
With India being the single biggest source market for tourism, Minister Fernando outlined his ambitious focus on tapping into the vast potential of the Indian market.
He underscored the strategic importance of strengthening partnerships with Indian companies to drive tourism growth and economic development in Sri Lanka. He said talks had also been held with an Indian company to operate a helicopter service in Sri Lanka for domestic transportation.
Sri Lanka is targeting 2.3 million tourist arrivals in 2024. “By 2030, we hope to attract four to five million visitors. We have 60 cruisers that have been booked to dock in Sri Lanka. This is why we have to go for massive development projects,” the minister said.
Boosting tourism
Fernando also underscored the importance of tapping into India’s huge middle-income market, hoping that attracting even a small percentage of India’s 50 million tourists would yield major dividends for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
Fernando also said a top Indian cricketer will be hired to endorse Sri Lanka through a commercial campaign, leveraging his popularity.
He welcomed Indian investors to explore opportunities in boutique villa development, citing Sri Lanka as an attractive investment destination with promising prospects.