Colombo Lotus Tower to open doors to public on September 15

The Colombo Lotus Tower, which was constructed with the aim of making it a symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka, will open its doors to the public on September 15.

It is the first time the structure will commence commercial operations since its construction reached completion in 2019.

The completed project was handed over to the Sri Lankan government by China on February 2022, after which the management entity, Colombo Lotus Tower (Pvt.) Ltd, was established to carry out the operations.

In a statement to the media yesterday, the President’s Office said the opening of the Lotus Tower will give a “novel” experience to the locals and tourists alike. According to Colombo Lotus Tower Chief Administrative Officer Major General (Rtd.) Prasad Samarasinghe, the 350-meter-tall facility will offer an array of technological experiences along with entertainment similar to those found in wealthy countries around the world.

“The Lotus Tower operations have been designed to meet the anticipated entertainment and recreational requirements of the public. The Lotus Tower is spread over 10.5 acres of land and will no doubt become an entertainment haven for the youth who desire adventure sports,” the statement said. 

Among the attractions offered at the Lotus Tower are adventure sports such as sky diving and bungee jumping. 
The management of the tower also released yesterday how much it would cost one to visit the facility. The statement said the locals would be charged Rs.500 and Rs.2000, whereas the tourists and foreigners would be charged US $ 20. 

Plans are afoot to introduce a QR code system for the payment of tickets.
Earlier this year, the management company called for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to set up operations at the tower.

The statement shared that out of the total applications received, 80 percent are from local investors and 20 percent are from foreign investors.

Negotiations are currently underway with 58 investment companies. The management has expressed interest in entering into agreements with 22 of them and orders for 15 different events have been received until December 31, this year.  

The Lotus Tower is the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia. The tower was built at a cost of approximately US $ 113 million. 

A Chinese entity granted a loan of US $ 88.6 million for the construction of the company, for which the loan instalment will be completed by 2024. To date, the government of Sri Lanka has repaid US $ 66.393 million of the loan.