Heritage preservation and cultural tourism were central to talks between Sri Lankan and Turkish officials in Ankara on 30 October 2026.
Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra met Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Serdar Çam, during an official visit.
The discussion examined how Sri Lanka could attract more Turkish travellers while expanding institutional cooperation and cultural exchanges.
Türkiye’s experience in connecting archaeological sites with tourism was identified as an area for knowledge sharing. Officials also considered opportunities for people-to-people contact and higher-value tourism development.
For Sri Lanka, the discussion placed cultural assets alongside the broader effort to diversify the visitor economy.
The meeting outlined possible areas of cooperation rather than announcing a completed tourism project or a new visitor target. Any practical benefits would depend on the partnerships and activities developed after the talks.
