News & market updates

Emirates has completed retrofits on 100 aircraft (47 A380s, 53 Boeing 777s) since November 2022 as part of the largest-known airline retrofit programme. The US$5 billion initiative — now past the halfway point toward 219 aircraft — has added 3,800+ Premium Economy seats and will roll out 4K seatback screens and new Safran Z400 seats from Oct 2026.

Outgoing Swedish Ambassador Jan Thesleff said he is optimistic about Sri Lanka's recovery and rising investor confidence, noting about 80 Swedish companies operate in Sri Lanka. He highlighted opportunities in ICT, apparel exports, renewable energy, healthcare and tourism, and cited Port City progress and the need for direct flights.

Dividend · Rs 0.20 · XD Aug 10, 2026

First And Final dividend of LKR 0.2/share; XD 2026-08-10; record 2026-08-11; payable 2026-08-31; FY 31st March 2026

Sri Lanka's tourism crossed the 1.2 million visitor milestone in early July after 71,383 arrivals during July 1–12, though YTD arrivals remain 2% below 2025. India is the largest source market and China has overtaken Russia as the third-largest source for 2026.

Emirates is offering a seasonal strawberry menu on Dubai–UK flights from 13–31 July with strawberry desserts across all cabin classes. Emirates SkyCargo has transported more than 230 tonnes of British strawberries to the UAE since March 2026, partly sourced from Bustanica vertical farm.

Vietjet will launch direct Colombo–Ho Chi Minh City flights on 18 August 2026. The airline was also named among HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work For in Asia and won an HR Asia DE&I Award ahead of the route launch.

Sri Lanka promoted luxury tourism at ILTM Asia Pacific 2026 in Singapore, showcasing a Sri Lanka pavilion and holding business meetings with international luxury travel buyers; 15 companies participated, including Ceylon Roots (LOLC Holdings PLC).

Sri Lanka's High Commission in the UK held a roundtable on 3 July with the SLUKCC and UK officials to strengthen bilateral economic ties and promote Sri Lanka EXPO 2027 in Colombo. Discussions covered macroeconomic reforms, trade and tourism, the UK's DCTS, education partnerships, technology investment and a planned Business Forum in September.

Mastercard is the Title Partner for the Data Privacy and Protection Summit 2026, scheduled for 23 July at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. With PDPA enforcement imminent, the summit will focus on data governance, AI-related risks and compliance issues relevant to hotel operators and other businesses.

ITC Ratnadipa launches Rūhāniyat, an Indian heritage pop-up dining experience in Colombo running from 10 July to 16 August, offering a curated à la carte lunch (12:00–15:00) and dinner (18:30–23:00) menu of regional Indian dishes.

Ceylinco General Insurance's AI visibility score jumped from 28.5 to 83.6 in April, the largest one-month move in BrandRadar's March–May AI Visibility Index of 198 Sri Lankan brands across major LLMs. The study highlights rapid, platform-specific swings in AI recommendations that affect insurers and hotels.

Colombo Stock Exchange fell as the ASPI dropped 1.07% (−233.18 pts) to 21,532.38 amid escalating West Asia tensions. Banks led selling with turnover at 1.04 billion rupees; Palm Garden Hotels reported non-compliance with minimum public holding and People's Leasing listed 59,766,864 scrip shares.

Sri Lanka's tourism earnings fell 12% YoY to $1.51bn in 1H 2026. June receipts were $151.1m (down 11% YoY) and the government has revised 2026 targets to $3.5bn and 2.5m arrivals, requiring more than $2bn in H2 to meet the updated earnings goal.

Radisson Hotel Kandy appointed Mr. Mangala Hemananda as General Manager; he brings 20+ years' hospitality experience and led the hotel to the Quality Accelerator Award for Q1 2025 in the MEA and SEAP region.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce met Belarusian Ambassador Mikhail Kasko to explore closer private‑sector ties to boost trade in machinery, agriculture and pharmaceuticals and increase exports (apparel, tea, coconut, spices, fresh produce) and tourism via direct air links.

Sri Lanka was ranked No. 50 on Travel And Tour World's Top 50 Food Destinations for 2026. TTW highlighted Sri Lanka's aromatic spices and regional offerings from Colombo street food and coastal seafood to tea-inspired hill-country cuisine.

HyperCon 2026, a two-day gaming, esports and digital entertainment convention organized by NXL Entertainment and TRIOSLK, will be held 1-2 August 2026 at the Royal MAS Arena and RCU Skills Centre in Colombo, projected to attract 4,000+ on-site visitors and 100,000+ online viewers.

Saegis Campus and the Event Management Association, in partnership with Pearson UK, launched a Diploma in International Event Management & Marketing Studies to provide industry-integrated education for event professionals. The programme offers hands-on experience at live events organised by EMA member companies to build practical skills and industry connections.

SLTPB held B2B roadshows and networking events in Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad on 15, 17 and 19 June 2026, bringing together 48 Sri Lankan travel firms and 550+ travel agents. The events coincided with FitsAir launching direct Ahmedabad–Sri Lanka flights on 19 June 2026, enhancing connectivity from Gujarat.

Sri Lanka Institute of Directors will host the Sri Lanka Corporate Director Summit 2026 on 22 July at Cinnamon Grand Colombo with keynote speakers Binod K. Chaudhary and Dillip Rajakarier. They will discuss board governance, global expansion and supply-chain resilience for future-ready Sri Lankan boards.

ADB lowers developing Asia and Pacific growth to 4.9% for 2026 (from 5.5% in 2025), a 0.2 percentage point downgrade from April due to prolonged energy-market disruptions. It raises regional inflation to 4.3% for this year and warns of risks from tighter financial conditions, supply-chain strains and higher fertilizer/commodity costs.

A 31-member FIEO-led Indian business delegation visited Sri Lanka (8–10 July 2026) to explore trade and B2B partnerships across pharmaceuticals, engineering, apparel, food/agriculture and infrastructure. Bilateral merchandise trade reached about $7.2bn in 2025–26 and Sri Lanka's exports to India rose nearly 160% over five years.

Sri Lanka plans a Rs.3.5 billion global destination branding campaign by year-end or early 2027, with interim targeted digital marketing and PR campaigns to begin in August in Germany, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Procurement is underway with World Bank technical assistance and staggered market rollouts planned.

Asia-Pacific visitors—especially Indians—are outspending Europeans in Sri Lanka, with Indian tourists' average daily expenditure around $154 versus the national average of $148. Year-to-date 301,875 Indian tourists (26% of arrivals) have visited and SLTPB is expanding promotions to boost spending and length of stay.

Sri Lanka has cut its 2026 tourism targets to 2.5m arrivals (from 3.0m) and $3.5bn in earnings (from $4.0bn) after the Middle East conflict disrupted air connectivity. Officials say recovery is expected in 2H as new carriers begin services and existing airlines increase frequencies.

A seminar on Beneficial Ownership compliance will be held on 22 July 2026 at The Kingsbury, Colombo to provide guidance on BO filings under the Companies Act No. 12 of 2025 and CBSL Direction 2 of 2026, highlighting the statutory BO filing deadline of 30 September 2026 and non-compliance risks.

Colombo market fell for an eighth session as ASPI dropped 0.60% (130.78 pts) to 21,697.72 amid renewed Middle East tensions, with turnover over Rs.1.4bn and foreign net outflow of Rs.91.7m. Declines were led by Commercial Bank, Melstacorp, Hayleys and John Keells, while capital goods, food & beverage and banking drove turnover.

Government and stakeholders launched immediate and long-term plans to clean and beautify Colombo's Beira Lake, including an immediate seawater flushing sponsored by Nahil Wijesuriya and longer-term restoration funded in the Government Budget. The measures are intended to protect tourism, public health and the urban environment.

Sri Lanka welcomed 34,721 tourists in the first six days of July, a 3.6% YoY decline, while YTD arrivals stand at 1.18 million, 2% below the same period in 2025. The country is targeting 3 million arrivals and $4 billion in tourism earnings for 2026, requiring stronger momentum in H2.