Sri Lanka’s ambitions to expand its meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector continue to face challenges linked to venue availability, accommodation capacity, connectivity and event infrastructure, with Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe revealing that the country recently lost a major Indian film festival after its preferred venue was unavailable.
Speaking at the media briefing for Sri Lanka MICE Expo 2026, Prof. Ranasinghe said organisers of the Indian film festival had specifically wanted to use Nelum Pokuna. However, the venue was unavailable when they approached Sri Lanka, ultimately leading the organisers to cancel the event.
The incident, he said, highlights some of the practical constraints affecting Sri Lanka’s efforts to attract large-scale international events. Among the key issues are air connectivity, hotel room capacity, suitable venues and the logistics required to accommodate major international gatherings.
The government is looking to expand the range of locations available for such events. Temple Trees has been opened for event use, while developments taking place in Port City Colombo are expected to add further capacity. Meanwhile, authorities are also working on plans to bring facilities at Mattala into the MICE sector.
Sri Lanka’s MICE industry has recorded growth in recent years, although officials acknowledge that accurate data on the segment remains limited.
Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) Chairman Dheera Hettiarachchi said MICE travellers accounted for approximately 5 percent of total tourist arrivals in 2024. According to him, the share has since increased to around 10 percent, with the SLCB targeting approximately 11 percent by the end of 2026.
Prof. Ranasinghe also placed the current share at around 11 percent but noted that the figures are estimates because Sri Lanka does not yet have comprehensive statistics specifically covering MICE tourism.
He said the international MICE industry represents a market estimated at around US$1 trillion and accounts for a significant share of global tourism activity. The Asia-Pacific region represents an even larger proportion of the market, highlighting the scale of the opportunity available to destinations such as Sri Lanka.
However, Sri Lanka faces considerable competition from established Asian MICE destinations.
Prof. Ranasinghe pointed out that eight of the world’s leading MICE destination cities are located in Asia, with Sydney and Melbourne among the exceptions. This makes competition within the region particularly significant as Sri Lanka seeks to attract more international conferences, incentive programmes, exhibitions and corporate events.
The resources available to the SLCB itself remain relatively limited. The bureau operates with a nine-member team and an annual budget of around Rs.360 million. More than Rs.110 million of this year’s allocation is being spent on Sri Lanka MICE Expo 2026, representing a substantial portion of the bureau’s annual budget.
Despite these limitations, interest in the expo has been strong.
According to SLCB Marketing Manager Malkanthi Welikala, the bureau received 587 hosted buyer applications from 49 countries. Since more than 700 buyers had already participated in previous editions, repeat applicants were removed from consideration. Following the exclusion of 81 repeat applications, 506 new applications were evaluated, from which 104 hosted buyers representing 24 countries were selected.
India remains the largest source market for MICE tourism, leading the SLCB to allocate around 40 percent of the hosted buyer places to Indian participants. This represents approximately 42 buyers.
The international delegation will also include 17 journalists selected from 79 media applications across 11 countries. Together, the hosted buyers and media representatives will bring international participation from 27 countries.
Participants are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on October 4 or during the early hours of October 5. The programme will include business-to-business meetings on October 6, followed by familiarisation tours covering destinations including the Cultural Triangle and other parts of the country on October 7 and 8. The programme will conclude on October 9.
SLCB Chairman Hettiarachchi expects the expo to generate more than 10,000 B2B meetings between international hosted buyers and more than 100 Sri Lankan MICE operators.
The event is intended to provide local companies with direct access to international buyers while giving overseas participants an opportunity to assess Sri Lanka’s facilities, services and destinations for future events.
Welikala also highlighted Sri Lanka’s geographical size as an advantage for international MICE travellers. The country’s compact nature allows visitors to attend business events and experience different destinations and climatic conditions within relatively short travel times.
She also pointed to Sri Lanka’s year-round tourism appeal and online visa facilities available to visitors from 40 countries as factors supporting its MICE proposition.
The SLCB is positioning Sri Lanka around a combination of competitive pricing, service quality and diverse experiences rather than competing purely as a low-cost destination.
Prof. Ranasinghe stressed that the economic impact of a major international event extends well beyond the venue hosting it. Airlines, hotels, tour operators, event venues, photographers, transport providers and logistics companies can all benefit from the arrival of large groups of international delegates.
As Sri Lanka works to expand its MICE tourism sector, officials say improving venue capacity, accommodation, connectivity and supporting infrastructure will remain important to attracting larger international events and competing with established destinations across the Asia-Pacific region.
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