The growth in exports in March outstripped the increase in the expenditure for merchandise imports for the same month, as the exports of textiles and garments showed strength once again, after losing a bit of steam in the recent months.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau jointly collaborated with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau recently, participating in the Exotic Wedding Planners Conference (EWPC) 2024, alongside key industry participants. This marked the first-ever presence

The government this week announced its efforts to make Mirissa, a small town located on the south coast of Sri Lanka, a Blue Flag Coastal Zone and a marine wildlife sanctuary conforming to international standards. On Monday, Cabinet of Ministers app

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) is stepping up efforts to expand gastronomy tourism in a bid to combat overtourism, cater to the high-end market and boost inbound tourism consumption in rural areas. JTA will provide financial subsidies in fiscal 2024

The Southern MICE Expo 2024 is scheduled to take place form the May 27th to 31st. Southern MICE Expo 2024 is organized by the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) with acknowledgement from the Ministry of Tourism and Lands, positioning Sri Lanka’s so

n Inflation or no inflation, concerns about the economy or no concerns, overtourism is becoming the new normal Travel has become such a fundamental part of the basic human needs. After you take care of your physiological needs: food, shelter, clothi

The introduction of Minimum Room Rate (MRR) for star hotels in Colombo is likely to hurt Colombo’s competitiveness in MICE tourism while impacting smaller star hotels, a tourism industry update by First Capital Research (FCR) highlighted. “The im

Softlogic Life celebrated achievements of their top Sales performers at their annual Sales Convention, held at the Colombo Shangri-La Hotel recently. With the participation of over 650 sales agents, the evemt was organized under the theme ‘A New Er

Kurunegala has become the latest location to receive the CEAT premium retail experience with the opening of a new-concept Shop-in-Shop (SIS) outlet. The new outlet is located at Rohana Enterprises Kurunegala (Pvt) Ltd., in Negombo Road, Kurunegala. T

Rotary International District 3220 Conference 2024 brought together over 400 Rotarians from Sri Lanka and overseas, together with several distinguished invitees and speakers. The opening ceremony of the conference was held at the BMICH on April 26,

The Export Development Board (EDB) yesterday called for applications from local tech start-ups wishing to participate in the Expand North Star of GITEX Global 2024. Applications are to be submitted via EDB’s online portal before May 9. Local start-

Hatton National Bank PLC has appointed Sanjay Wijemanne as the bank’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 26th April 2024, subject to relevant regulatory clearances.  Wijemanne has previously served as HNB’s Deputy General

John Keells Holdings PLC yesterday issued a cautionary notice to the public regarding WhatsApp groups falsely claiming affiliation with the company and some of its subsidiaries. The groups, reportedly numbering up to 30, are attempting to deceive i

Two business personalities of Sri Lanka have been named as recipients of “The Order of the Rising Sun” honour by the Government of Japan. Kosala Rohana Wickramanayake, the recipient of the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette is th

Melco Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho this week said he saw Sri Lanka becoming to India what Macau is to China by tapping into its enormous population base and growing economy. As reported by Inside Asian Gaming (IAG), Ho noted that having looked at the

John Keells Holdings (JKH) PLC this week announced it has partnered with Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd (Melco), one of the world’s largest integrated resort operators and an owner and developer of casino gaming and entertainment resort faciliti

The prices of cement dropped further yesterday, with a 50-kilogramme bag now being sold for 2 percent lower than the previous selling price.

In a further sign that the country’s beleaguered construction sector is expanding steadily, the construction sector Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recorded an index value of 55.9 for March. Under the PMI, a contraction in activity and an expans

Sri Lanka’s plantation sector secured a big win yesterday, with the government announcing the increase of the daily wage of the workers to Rs.1,700. A gazette notification was also issued in this regard. The fight for higher wages by the plantation

John Keells Holdings PLC has issued a cautionary notice to the public regarding WhatsApp groups falsely claiming affiliation with the company and some of its subsidiaries.

A gazette notification has been issued announcing the increase in the minimum daily wage of tea plantation workers to Rs. 1,700.

Resulting from the fuel price revision from last night, the cement manufacturing companies have decided to reduce the retail price of a 50 kg bag of cement.

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando has pledged to address technical issues of the new visa system by May 7. This comes amid concerns of potential losses of 230,000 tourist arrivals and US$ 425 million in tourism earnings for the year.

Colombo district prices have declined by 0.8 percent in April from a month ago. This was helped by the drop in both food and non-food prices in the month, in what appeared to be an idiosyncrasy as typically prices get a bump up during the festive mon

Cruise ship ‘Serenade of the Seas’ made her maiden call at the Hambantota International Port (HIP) this Monday (29).

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) yesterday announced it achieved a record 48 percent Year-on-Year (YoY) increase in container volumes in the first quarter (1Q24). The numbers....

HSBC’s group chief executive Noel Quinn is unexpectedly retiring after nearly five years in the role. Europe’s largest bank says it is in the process of finding a successor for 62-year....

First Capital Holdings PLC announced the appointment of Kuda Banda Herath as an Independent Non-Executive Director to the company’s Board of Directors, effective....

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando revealed that the majority of Cabinet members support the Cabinet paper extending a free visa scheme for 60 countries. According....

Bullish sentiment persisted in the secondary market for the 4th consecutive day, following the auction yields sharply declining in both T-Bond and T-Bill auctions. Short to mid tenors....