News Today: Former PUCSL Chairman says Sri Lanka can exceed 2.7 million tourist arrivals in 2025 with strategic promotion and skilled workforce training.

Sri Lanka has the potential to surpass 2.7 million tourist arrivals in 2025 if the country is promoted strategically and positioned as a premier global travel destination, according to former Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Rathnayaka.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of his latest venture, the Trillium Express Hotel, Rathnayaka stressed that Sri Lanka’s tourism target of three million arrivals for 2025 is achievable with proper planning and promotion.

“By the end of July, Sri Lanka had already welcomed 1.3 million tourists. That leaves 1.7 million more to achieve the annual target. With the right positioning and promotion, exceeding **2.7 million arrivals this year is well within reach,” Rathnayaka said.

He pointed out that international rating agencies have consistently ranked Sri Lanka among the top global travel destinations, highlighting its natural beauty, safety, and cleanliness compared to many other Asian nations. Rathnayaka added that with better promotion and infrastructure, the country could attract up to five million tourists within two to three years.

However, he also identified significant challenges in the hospitality industry, particularly the shortage of trained staff and the lack of a structured system for recruitment and training.

“We speak of 40,000 unemployed graduates and nearly 400,000 people without jobs in Sri Lanka. Each year, 25% of students fail to pass the GCE O/L examination. By absorbing them into the hospitality sector through proper training, we can both strengthen the tourism workforce and reduce unemployment,” he explained.

Rathnayaka further announced his readiness to provide hotel school training opportunities for students unable to pass the O/L exam. His initiative aims to equip them with employable skills while directly contributing to the country’s tourism-driven economic recovery.

With a growing reputation as a world-class destination and an untapped workforce that can be trained, Sri Lanka is poised to unlock its full tourism potential in the years ahead.