The highly anticipated Port City Colombo downtown duty-free mall is gearing up to open doors by September this year as its two operators have been successful in obtaining the Businesses of Strategic Importance (BSI) status.

This week, Cabinet approval was given to China Duty Free (CDF) and One World Duty Free (ODF) to be designated as businesses of secondary strategic importance, along with 11 other entities.

Accordingly this approval paves the way for the commencement of travel retail operations at the upcoming Downtown Duty-Free Mall. 

“Our partners are now empowered to operate within the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone, allowing for the eagerly anticipated opening of the Downtown Duty-Free Mall to go ahead before the close of 3Q 2024,” said CHEC Port City Colombo Managing Director Xiong Hongfeng.

“We look forward to this, and to many other important developments in due course, with many prospective global investors ready to invest in Sri Lanka through Port City Colombo,” he added. Being the pioneering duty-free mall concept in Sri Lanka, the Downtown Duty-Free Mall at Port City Colombo will feature world-renowned travel retail operators. Capitalising on the city’s prime location and connectivity to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), the Downtown Duty-Free Mall will showcase unparalleled convenience and a diversity of brands that will appeal to the modern-day traveller. 

The facility promises to transform Colombo into a leading travel retail hotspot in the South Asian region, which will emulate the success of other competitive downtown duty-free markets including Singapore, Australia, and China. 

China Duty Free and One World Duty Free, both acclaimed global travel retail giants, will soon begin operations at Port City Colombo, further bolstering the project’s emergence as a tourism hub. China Duty Free, in particular, is ranked as the world’s number one travel retailer, having recorded  revenue of US$ 9.3 billion in 2023, according to a recently released Moodie Davit Report.

Along with CDF and ODF, a third international luxury duty-free brand is set to explore a collaboration at this revolutionary duty-free mall concept, providing travellers arriving in Sri Lanka more choice. 

The Downtown Duty-Free Mall will also be complemented by a curation of duty-paid brands and dining experiences, including Nihonbashi by Dharshan, Spa Ceylon, Café Chill, and so forth.