Why Doesn’t Sri Lanka Attract Tourists with High Spending Power?

Statistics states that the majority of tourists visiting Sri Lanka are backpackers with weekly budget under USD500. While Sri Lanka is dreaming of those tourists who will spend over USD300 daily, looks like the country's tourism industry does not have much to offer to big spenders. Why? There is an obvious lack of proper infrastructure for high-end tourists.

Starting from the very beginning – there is a limited number of direct flights connnecting Sri Lanka with the countries which can potentially act as the main source markets of high-end tourists. The most popular ways for flying into Sri Lanka either from Europe or America imply connecting via Qatar or UAE what results in longer travel what not everybody enjoys.

But that's not all. On arriving to Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, travellers face another about-4-5-hour-transfer either to the north (e.g. Kandy) or to the south (e.g. Mirissa) as the roads remain in poor condition and there is no alternative methods of transportation on offer.

Luxury villas and 5-star accommodations in Sri Lanka are scarce. There are about 4,200 5-star hotel rooms in Sri Lanka with 250 of them being luxury boutique villas. This number is far below demand.

On the positive side, though, is that the government actively supports the initiative to develop roads and railways across the country. Besides, by 2030, there will be a marina and cruise centre in Colombo which will handle cruise ships – a considerable contribution to attracting big spenders to the country.

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