The Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, I thank you for the opportunity to express my views at the Committee Stage Debate on the 2026 Budget. In particular, I wish to address tourism.

¶ 02 First, as a new MP of the 10th Parliament, completing one year today, I proudly and respectfully recall my beloved people of the hill country, Kandy District, who give me strength.

¶ 03 Hon. Chairman, tourism is vital for foreign exchange. Historically, our country has been known in many ways: by Prince Vijaya’s legend of landing at Tambapanni; by Arab traders; and as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Yet today we must ask whether tourism has its due place.

¶ 04 We know the Government set a goal early this year to earn USD 5 billion from tourism and to attract 3 million tourists. However, by now — with almost eleven and a half months of 2025 gone — only 1.9 million have arrived. There are several reasons why we are failing to reach our targets.

¶ 05 A key driver globally is destination branding. Examples include “Incredible India”, “Inspired by Iceland”, and “100% Pure New Zealand”, which doubled or tripled tourism. For Sri Lanka we have seen “So Sri Lanka”, “A Land Like No Other”, and post-COVID “You Will Come Back for More”. A new campaign slated to launch this January with a refreshed image has still not been rolled out; this is a serious setback, and hoteliers in the private sector have expressed their disappointment. The peak winter season begins in November, with the highest arrivals in November and December.

¶ 06 While about 32,000 tourists have arrived so far this month, we remain behind the 3 million target. In 2018 roughly 5 million tourists visited Sri Lanka, contributing close to 5% of GDP. Today, with about 1.9 million arrivals, the contribution is down to a much lower percentage. I urge that the marketing campaign be launched immediately at least to benefit the coming year.

¶ 07 Hon. Minister of Tourism, you announced in July that visas would be free for 33 additional countries beyond the existing seven. That announcement caused a stir in the industry, but the Gazette has not been issued yet. These kinds of inconsistencies are harming our ability to meet our targets.

¶ 08 I also wish to raise the issue of tour guides. Licensed tour guides must be registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). A new problem has arisen: foreign tour guides are operating here without SLTDA registration, effectively usurping work from local registered guides and diverting foreign exchange. Recent social media posts showed unregistered foreign (especially Chinese) guides meeting tourists at the airport and doing the work of local registered guides. I earnestly request your attention to this.

¶ 09 We have also seen incidents of harassment of foreign women tourists: one from New Zealand in Thirukkovil, and two from the Netherlands in the Kurunegala area. Such incidents gravely harm tourism. Please look into this urgently.

¶ 10 Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage City. The 2025 Budget allocated Rs. 50 million for the Walkability Improvement Project along Dalada Veediya, Raja Veediya, Colombo Street, and part of Deva Veediya. Because the money was not spent, it reverted to the Treasury. I request that this be revived.

¶ 11 Tourists rarely stay even one night in Kandy despite over 1,000 registered hotels in the district. Due to weaknesses in marketing and branding, many tourists stay only a single night. Kandy boasts the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, the Temple of the Tooth, and ancient sites like Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya. Yet marketing of these is inadequate. Hotels pay the Tourism Development Levy (0.5% to 1%), but if marketing is ineffective, collecting this is unjustified. Please take measures to encourage tourists to stay longer in Kandy.

¶ 12 Turning to justice sector matters: you previously spoke of digitizing our court system. Yet at the Kandy Court Complex, even basic services like photocopying are lacking for citizens with simple matters. Please attend to this.

¶ 13 There is also a problem with deed registrations in Kandy District. I have been informed by the Kandy B.B.E. association that in some divisions no more than seven deeds are registered per day, and that even for one-day service, limits are similarly restrictive. The Government earns more from one-day service; restricting to seven per day is unfair. I request your urgent attention.

¶ 14 Thank you.