Sri Lanka is expanding air connectivity with western India as part of efforts to boost tourism, with direct Ahmedabad–Colombo services set to begin from 19 June.
FitsAir will operate the route three times a week, cutting travel time from nearly nine hours with stopovers to about three hours.
Tourism officials say India remains Sri Lanka’s largest source market. Speaking to WION, Kamal Munasinghe of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts said India contributed around 500,000 tourist arrivals last year, with further growth expected this year. He described Ahmedabad as an untapped market despite existing direct links from other Indian cities.
Industry representatives highlighted Gujarat’s strong outbound travel demand and cultural ties with Sri Lanka as key factors behind the expansion. Walkers Tours chief executive Nalaka Amaratunga said India accounted for about 24 per cent of Sri Lanka’s total arrivals in 2025, with more than 531,000 Indian visitors recorded.
He also pointed to rising demand for MICE tourism, with Sri Lanka increasingly hosting Indian corporate events supported by upgraded hospitality infrastructure and integrated resort developments in Colombo. (NewsWire)