科伦坡酒店扩容提振斯里兰卡MICE雄心，买家吁区域配套跟进

A surge in Colombo’s hotel supply and venue capacity is elevating Sri Lanka’s standing as a business events destination, though buyers stress that regional infrastructure outside the capital must catch up to sustain growth.

“There has been a significant increase in rooms and venue capacity for MICE events in Colombo over the past three years,” Shekhar Grover, chief events officer at India-based Luxxury Mice Travel, told TTGmice on the sidelines of Sri Lanka MICE Expo, held in Colombo in October.

“However, we still need more hotels outside Colombo equipped with MICE facilities,” added Grover, who has arranged numerous corporate trips for Indian clients, which is Sri Lanka’s largest source market for both leisure and business travel.

Over the past three years, brands including ITC, Pullman, Amari, Sheraton, and Marriott have opened properties in Colombo. This includes the City of Dreams, Sri Lanka’s first fully integrated resort, which features over 800 rooms alongside extensive event venues.

Sandra C. Honrado, group head of membership and international relations at Manila-based Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, shared that the association successfully hosted its 49^th annual congress in Sri Lanka last month with 250 delegates. “The country is lovely, the people are hospitable, and there is a ‘wow’ factor everywhere,” she said.

Lu Miaomiao from Chinese exhibition agency HIMICE also expressed similar optimism about Sri Lanka, confirming plans to host a 600-delegate event for the health and food supplement industry in Colombo next month. “Sri Lanka is a beautiful location for MICE events from China,” she noted.

However, some buyers pointed to high costs. A Malaysian buyer, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that hotel rates in Colombo are higher than in Malaysia or Delhi. “Rates need to come down,” he said, adding that five-star hotel rates in Colombo average around US$300, compared to US$250 in Kuala Lumpur.

Conversely, first-time visitor Nikolay Sotnikov from Russia’s Update Agency said he plans to actively promote Sri Lanka to corporate clients, citing direct flights by national carrier Aeroflot as a key advantage.

For Indian buyer Bobbita Das, proprietor of RG Travels, the destination’s main shortcoming is a lack of night markets and late-night shopping options similar to those in Thailand or Malaysia. However, she praised the country’s warm hospitality, suggesting that two- to three-night coastal cruises would also prove a major draw for Indian groups.