Marine Tourism Roadmap for Sri Lanka By SLTDA

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka marked a major milestone in its tourism development efforts with the official launch of the Marine Tourism Roadmap.

This initiative, led by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under its technical assistance program TA9881 SRI: Supporting Tourism Resilience, lays the groundwork for a new chapter in tourism and the nation’s blue economy.

The Marine Tourism Roadmap was developed through an extensive process of data collection, stakeholder consultations and site visits conducted by the ADB appointed international consultant together with officials of the SLTDA.

The final validation of the Roadmap was done by the Marine Tourism Steering Committee, which included representatives from key marine related public and private sector institutions. International expertise was provided by  Aleksandra Dragozet (CEO & Founder - Sea Going Green), ADB’s appointed marine tourism consultant, whose guidance ensured the strategy aligned with global best practices for sustainable tourism.

The Marine Tourism Roadmap emphasizes a balanced approach between conservation and economic development, promoting eco-friendly activities such as diving, snorkeling, ship wreck diving and marine wildlife watching. These activities are designed to support local livelihoods while safeguarding Sri Lanka’s rich marine biodiversity, particularly coral reefs, marine mammals, and fragile coastal habitats that face increasing environmental pressure. The strategy outlines two categories of coastal destinations: areas covering Kalpitiya through Galle to Trincomalee, which possess established marine tourism industries; and areas covering Mannar, Jaffna and the North-Eastern coastal belt, which are recognized for their emerging tourism potential. Notably, Sri Lanka’s ocean territory is nearly seven times larger than its landmass, highlighting the vast, untapped opportunities for marine-based tourism. The roadmap presents both short-term and long-term implementation strategies, aiming to develop sustainable marine tourism infrastructure, enhance visitor experiences, and ensure the protection and resilience of marine ecosystems in the years ahead.

The roadmap itself is the result of collaboration among stakeholders covering coastal areas of Negombo, Kalpitiya, Mannar, Jaffna, Mullativu, Trincomalee and Galle and also the Steering committee members representing 18 key marine related public and private sector institutions including Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Tourism and the SLTDA. This unified approach ensures that the document reflects the diverse perspectives of stakeholders directly involved in marine and coastal tourism development.

Source: SLTDA