Sri Lanka lost a major Indian film festival after Nelum Pokuna was unavailable, highlighting venue, accommodation and connectivity gaps in MICE tourism.
Sri Lanka recently lost a major Indian film festival after organisers were unable to secure their preferred venue, Nelum Pokuna, highlighting infrastructure challenges facing the country’s growing MICE tourism sector.
Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe revealed at the Sri Lanka MICE Expo 2026 media briefing that the Indian group cancelled its plans after Nelum Pokuna was unavailable. He identified suitable venues, accommodation capacity, connectivity and logistics as key areas that need further development.
Despite these challenges, Sri Lanka’s MICE sector is showing growth. Sri Lanka Convention Bureau Chairman Dheera Hettiarachchi said MICE accounted for around 5% of tourist arrivals in 2024 and has since increased to approximately 10%, with a target of 11% by the end of 2026. Officials noted, however, that these figures are approximate because comprehensive MICE-specific statistics are not yet available.
India remains Sri Lanka’s leading MICE market. Reflecting this importance, around 40% of the hosted buyers selected for Sri Lanka MICE Expo 2026 are from India.
The government is also working to expand event capacity through locations including Temple Trees, future Port City Colombo developments and facilities around Mattala. With stronger infrastructure and destination promotion, Sri Lanka aims to capture a greater share of the international meetings and events market.
