Heritance Hotels and Resorts has secured four distinguished titles at the World Travel Awards 2026, with three national awards recognising its Sri Lankan properties and an international title for Heritance Aarah in the Maldives.

The three Sri Lankan titles recognise Heritance Tea Factory as Sri Lanka’s Leading Heritage Hotel 2026, Heritance Ahungalla as Sri Lanka’s Leading Luxury Hotel 2026, and Heritance Kandalama as Sri Lanka’s Leading Wedding Hotel 2026. Heritance Aarah was named the Indian Ocean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2026.

Internationally recognised within the global travel and tourism industry, the World Travel Awards celebrate excellence across hotels, resorts, and destinations. Recognition at this level affirms the quality, distinctiveness, and consistency of the experiences delivered by Heritance Hotels and Resorts.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce facilitated several one-to-one meetings between Sri Lankan companies and the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), USA, creating direct opportunities for businesses to explore manufacturing, investment, distribution and other avenues for establishing or expanding operations in the United States.

The meetings brought together companies from sectors including advanced manufacturing, agribusiness and food processing, energy, and distribution and logistics.

The discussions focused on the expansion interests of participating companies and the opportunities available in Mississippi, including the state’s industry clusters, infrastructure, workforce capabilities and support for international businesses. Companies were also able to discuss potential routes into the wider US market and the considerations involved in establishing operations there.

Clean Serendib marked the official commencement of its beach-cleaning operations with a demonstration of specialized machine-assisted cleaning technology at Mount Lavinia Beach on 14 October 2026. The initiative introduces a complementary approach to coastal conservation in Sri Lanka, focusing on the removal of smaller waste materials that are often difficult to recover through conventional manual cleaning methods.

The demonstration showcased how mechanized cleaning can enhance existing beach conservation efforts by addressing waste particles embedded within the sand. The event provided invited stakeholders with an opportunity to observe the technology in operation and understand its potential contribution to improving the cleanliness of Sri Lanka’s coastal environments.

Established under the leadership of Founder and Chief Executive Officer Aravinda Athukorala, Clean Serendib is dedicated to advancing practical solutions for coastal cleanliness and environmental preservation. The organization seeks to complement the work of volunteer groups, environmental organizations and public institutions by introducing specialized equipment capable of addressing persistent challenges in beach waste removal.

While conventional beach-cleaning activities play an important role in collecting visible litter, smaller discarded materials, including plastic fragments, bottle caps and other debris, frequently remain embedded beneath the sand. Recovering these materials manually can be labor-intensive, highlighting the value of mechanical cleaning technologies as a complementary solution.