Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath has defended the government’s sponsorship of the 63rd Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly, saying it was aimed at promoting Sri Lanka’s tourism industry through international media networks rather than supporting a private television channel.
Addressing Parliament, the Minister said the decision to host the 2026 summit in Sri Lanka had been made at the ABU General Assembly held in Türkiye in 2024, with MTV securing the official hosting rights.
He clarified that the government had not selected MTV as the host but had taken advantage of the international event to promote Sri Lanka as a tourism destination.
According to the Minister, the ABU represents approximately 225 media organisations across 66 countries, while nearly 350 international delegates attended the summit in Sri Lanka.
Major broadcasters represented included Japan’s NHK, Australia’s ABC, China Media Group, South Korea’s KBS, India’s Prasar Bharati, Singapore’s Mediacorp and Türkiye’s TRT.
Herath said video features and documentaries showcasing destinations including Galle, Bentota, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Nagadeepa and Trincomalee were produced alongside the summit’s workshops and other activities.
He said the content could be broadcast internationally through participating media organisations, providing valuable exposure for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
The Minister also revealed that agreements had been reached with several major international broadcasters to undertake future tourism promotional activities featuring Sri Lanka.
Responding to questions over government sponsorship, Herath said tourism promotion funding was provided for initiatives organised by both state and private media institutions.
He cited the international kite festival organised by the Derana media network, programmes conducted by ITN and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, and the Raid Amazones adventure event involving 250 French female participants and 55 international staff members as examples.
The Minister further maintained that the sponsorship for the ABU summit had followed the required approval process, including clearance from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau’s Board of Directors, the Department of Public Finance and the Cabinet of Ministers.
He stressed that the sponsorship was provided in good faith, through lawful procedures, with the objective of strengthening Sri Lanka’s international tourism promotion.
“The sponsorship extended by the Tourism Promotion Bureau for the 63rd ABU summit was aimed at advancing tourism promotion in Sri Lanka. It was done in good faith, legally and through the proper procedures,” the Minister said. (Newswire)