Tourism and business opportunities in Sri Lanka

Name: Tourism and business opportunities in Sri Lanka
Start: 2025-10-13T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-10-13T21:00:00+02:00
Location: Press Club Brussels Europe

Hourly Schedule

Programme

05:00pm - 05:05pm
Welcome Remarks

Speakers: H.E. Chandana Weerasena Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Belgium

05:05pm - 05:10pm
Welcome Remarks

Speakers: H.E. Arun Hemachandra Sri Lanka Deputy Foreign Minister

5:10pm - 5:30pm
What you need to know before investing in Sri Lanka

Speakers: Thavishya Mullegamgoda Minister (Commercial), Embassy of Sri Lanka

5:30pm - 6:00pm
One-to-one: Belgian companies Invest in and Do businesses with Sri Lanka

Speakers: Mr. Emmanuel Blomme CEO of Raketman (Pvt) Ltd & the Past General Manager of UTP Sri Lanka (VCF Cigars Belgium)

6:00pm - 6:45pm
Panel discussion: Travel and tourism opportunities in Sri Lanka

Speakers: António Buscardini Founder & CEO of Buscardini Communications Mr. Dushan Wickramasuriya Director Marketing Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Mr. Johan Six Aitken Spence Travels - Benelux Representative

H.E. Chandana Weerasena

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Belgium

H.E. Arun Hemachandra

Sri Lanka Deputy Foreign Minister

Thavishya Mullegamgoda

Minister (Commercial), Embassy of Sri Lanka

Mr. Emmanuel Blomme

CEO of Raketman (Pvt) Ltd & the Past General Manager of UTP Sri Lanka (VCF Cigars Belgium)

António Buscardini

Founder & CEO of Buscardini Communications

Mr. Dushan Wickramasuriya

Director Marketing Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau

Mr. Johan Six

Aitken Spence Travels - Benelux Representative

Sri Lanka is a country where tourism and business increasingly go hand in hand.

At a reception held at the Press Club Brussels Europe on 13 October 2025, representatives from Sri Lanka and Belgium came together to explore the country’s growing potential as both a travel destination and an investment hub.

The event offered a broader perspective on Sri Lanka’s economic revival, its strategic position in the Indian Ocean and the opportunities emerging for European businesses.

From trade and logistics to technology, investment and tourism, the message was clear: Sri Lanka is looking to deepen its relationships with Europe and build new partnerships with Belgium.

And for travellers, the proposition is equally compelling — an island where beaches, wildlife, tea country, ancient cities and living cultural traditions can be experienced within a remarkably compact destination.

A strategic gateway to Asia

Sri Lanka’s location between India and China was highlighted as an important advantage for trade, logistics and technology, alongside its preferential market access and established export industries.

A whole world on one island

Sri Lanka combines beaches, tea plantations, wildlife, historic cities and cultural heritage in a compact destination. The country counts eight UNESCO World Heritage sites and 26 national parks.