The Government is planning to introduce an official national sports and events calendar and establish a Destination Management Office (DMO) as part of efforts to strengthen Sri Lanka’s sports tourism sector.
In a social media post, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe said the proposals were discussed at a meeting held today (07) with officials from the Tourism and Sports Ministries, focusing on developing sports tourism as a key segment of the country’s tourism industry.
According to Ranasinghe, the two ministries agreed to work together to position Sri Lanka as an attractive destination for international sporting events and festivals.
The discussions also resulted in an agreement to introduce an official event calendar covering sports and festival events throughout the year, establish a transparent and efficient approval mechanism across government institutions, and set up a Destination Management Office to streamline operations under a single platform.
The proposed DMO will oversee operational activities with the necessary financial and institutional support, aimed at improving coordination for sports tourism initiatives.
Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism S. I. L. Naseer, Sports Ministry Secretary Aruna Bandara, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau Chairman Dheera Hettiarachchi, Western Province Tourism Bureau Chairman Mahesh Priyadarshana and senior officials from both ministries attended the meeting. (Newswire)