Features

‘Sri Lanka tourism can reach greater heights with strategic destination marketing’

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/4

In an interview with the Sunday Island, Director Marketing and Development, Jetwing Hotels, Hashan Cooray calls for a global marketing and branding strategy with teeth, if we are to attract more tourists with spending power. Following are the excerpts:

BY RANDIMA ATTYGALLE

Q: Looking back at the past few turbulent years, how would you recap the Sri Lankan tourism experience? How well do you think we have bounced back?

A:Our pickup really started around the middle of last year where ‘the end of summer travel’ was quite strong. Our key months – December to March, were quite satisfactory. Most of the hotels and destinations around the country thankfully did very well. Some of our hotels did better than even before the Easter Sunday attacks. After so many years, we saw a strong financial year which gave us confidence again. Therefore, we started reinvesting a lot of money back into the properties.

While we have always been cautiously optimistic, we never gave up on the destination or our operations. But having seen positive results again gave us a lot of satisfaction and a lot of confidence. So, considering everything that we went through, 2023 was exceptionally good in many ways and it gives us a good base for the current year assuming we do not have any hiccups along the way. I would say we have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, maybe not as high as 2018, which was the best year ever, but we are almost there and there’s potential for 2024 to be our best year yet.

Tourism is an industry which benefits multiple stakeholders; be it a freelance tour guide or a small-shop owner. There are also so many people who benefit apart from those engaged in the formal sector. Thus, this growth is essential for every player in the industry.

Q: What is the damage skilled migration has caused the tourism sector and overall what measures have been taken by the industry to mitigate this?

A: We don’t see the same exodus that we saw two years ago, where almost everybody who rot the opportunity was moving away. Today we actually have some people coming back after moving in the last couple of years. This clearly proves that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, and they once again see the potential in Sri Lanka and its tourism industry. With a sizable number leaving the country, we had some service challenges. Now, thankfully, we do not have serious issues as a company although we still would like to see more youngsters staying longer in the kitchen department.

It takes about two to three years of training for a young cook to become a good chef, whereas in departments like housekeeping or F&B service, within about three to six months we can groom an 18 or a 19-year-old and they will do a good job. This is not so in the kitchen. It would be great to see more talented Lankans returning home to contribute to the country. We also continue to hold extensive training programs around the country and bring more people into the industry.

Q: What should be our road map in terms of branding the country and enhancing the quality and professionalism in the hospitality sector?

A: In terms of destination branding and marketing, there is still a lot of work to be done. The state has focused a lot on international trade fairs, but this is not sufficient. There are still considerable funds available to be used for advertising and marketing the destination because all those in the formal sector contribute one percent of our revenue as tourism development levy, which is primarily given for international marketing.

Hashan Cooray

We still have a very big issue with the consumer awareness in key markets and though discussions have been going on for a long time, we still have not seen tangible results. This is very unfortunate because no other island of this size in the world has so much to offer. What we offer a tourist is phenomenal – be it nature and wildlife, heritage, beaches, wellness, food, and so much more – but sadly that message has not reached the discerning traveler and those who are willing to pay a premium.

When we compare our branding with our competitor destinations, we are far behind. The sad thing is, in terms of our product and offerings, we have a diverse offering from luxury to budget travelers. But unfortunately, we lack sufficient numbers in the luxury segment, where the country’s earning potential is far greater. If we look at our national assets, they are world class. Immediately we have everything in place and it is just the global marketing that is missing.

There are international luxury brands like Shangri-La, ITC, Anantara, and Aman. Companies like us, with properties such as Saman Villas, Kandy Gallery, Lighthouse, and Vil Uyana, which are globally recognized premium luxury hotels, and others in the industry such as Dilmah with their Resplendent Ceylon hotels and other local luxury hotel brands offer world class products and experiences.

We have a sufficient portfolio now as a country to promote to the luxury sector, but we do not make enough noise. Therefore, we have this gap where we have these luxury properties, where anywhere else in the world we could charge 800 or 1,000 dollars a night without a problem. But because of that lack of awareness, we are compelled to sell at lower rates or stick to high rates and run on low occupancy. And many in the industry do not have the confidence to charge premium rates.

Boutique hotels are somewhat better, but there are four/five-star larger hotels throughout the country that are completely underselling due to the trade pressure. And they give in to that pressure because they are afraid that they will not have anything at all. And one way to overcome that is by having a strong consumer-focused campaign and driving stronger demand for the destination, starting with the luxury segment, which will naturally trickle down to the other market segments. They can even start with one or two source markets, for instance with India or the UK. These are easy markets to tap into because they know Sri Lanka through cricket or tea, but they do not know that Sri Lanka has these kinds of places to stay. Otherwise, what happens is, if it is the high-end luxury segment, they will only think of going to the Maldives or other destinations, and Sri Lanka is not on their radar.

Q: With a decisive presidential election looming, what would be your message to the leadership in the best interest of Sri Lankan tourism?

A: If we acknowledge that tourism is the way to really save our economy, then it is imperative that the professional management of the Promotional Bureau and the Development Authority remain independent with no political affinity. Regardless of who comes into power, if this could be implemented, we can inject a lot of professionalism into the industry.

Many of our competitors such as Thailand, Malaysia, and India, have had successful long-term marketing campaigns and consistent growth, due to their non-political policies. Sadly, here at home each time a new regime comes to power, there is a new campaign introduced. It is urgent that we have a professional tourism body to market the destination, which is not linked to any political hierarchy, so that regardless of a regime-change, this body will function in the best interest of the country and industry.

The other expectation is for the regulations to remain stable and positive for the sake of the industry and the economy at large. In terms of taxation, although it may be inevitable at the moment, in the long-term we would like to see tax regulations revised. Most importantly the leadership should assure that there is stability, peace, and non-discrimination in the country for tourism to thrive.

Q: What measures should be taken by both the private and the state sector to realize sustainable tourism here at home?

A: Being conscious of the carrying-capacity of destinations and having planned-development in place is critical in this regard. We simply cannot afford massive properties to come up in destinations such as Yala, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and of late Ella. Many luxury travel agents say that they don’t want to go to Yala any more as they cannot expect a guest who is paying a premium to stay in queue for one hour to get into the park and then be jostled by over 100 jeeps when there is a leopard sighting.

There is simply no exclusivity in the experience because of over-visitation. It is the same with Sigiriya where the stairway leading to the top is packed with crowds which could be catastrophic unless controlled. Our opinion is that Sri Lanka should not be a destination that attracts tens of millions of tourists a year. We should target four to five million tourists at most and strive to increase the spend per tourist over time with infrastructure development and destination marketing.

Another way of looking at sustainable tourism is to restore our less traversed heritage sites. In Colombo itself there are so many places of heritage value to see which are again not marketed properly. Restoring colonial houses which also form part of our heritage is another advisable possibility, as opposed to bulldozing them and putting up contemporary buildings.

If we are not conscious of our own people, we fail as an industry. Many of the locals are left behind without being able to get a seat in a train as they are full of tourists. Although this is a good sign of a booming industry, we need to increase the capacity of our public transport, especially trains. Let us not forget that it is the local tourists who kept the industry alive during post-Easter attacks and during the COVID times. There are certain properties which prohibit locals regardless of their spending power, which is not acceptable.

Q:What potential do you see in ‘wellness tourism’ which is becoming popular?

A: Today wellness is one of the highest globally growing avenues of tourism. Especially after COVID, the boom in wellness is not necessary for physical wellness. Earlier most of the time we had people coming for ayurveda treatment to address a form of physical problem. Now, a lot of people come for wellness to address more mental reasons such as stress, depression, and anxiety.

Sri Lanka has a lot to offer in terms of wellness as we have the ayurveda tradition and also our native hela wedakama plus other wellness offerings too. As a company, we see a lot of potential in this area. Jetwing Lagoon in Negombo is now being completely transformed into a fully-fledged luxury holistic wellness property, and we also have Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilion dedicated to ayurveda treatment and wellness.

In terms of wellness travel, there is ‘primary wellness travel’ and ‘secondary wellness travel.’ Most tourists coming here are secondary wellness travelers, where their primary purpose of the visit is not to go to an ayurveda hotel or a hotel with a spa, but to enjoy nature, beaches, etc. But while they are here, they might want to do a morning yoga session or a spa treatment. Primary wellness travel is of course when a tourist comes here purely because they want to indulge in wellness. However, today we see a considerable percentage of primary wellness travelers and now there are several fully focused wellness hotels in the island. Our unique culture and food are added bonuses to promote wellness tourism in the country.

Q: Going beyond the traditional high spending Europeans being the focus, how best do you think we could leverage our neighbouring Indians with spending power, especially since they are now a global power and also Middle- Eastern tourists?

A : Out of its 1.5 billion population, if at least a million Indian travelers could come to Sri Lanka, that’s 20% of our expected arrivals. However, I don’t think we have still looked at India seriously enough in the luxury segment, despite the fact that there is a lot of potential. As I said before we have premium luxury hotels which could cater to them, but we still have not carried out a branding campaign with teeth.

Historically we have been getting quite a number of Middle Eastern travelers and it’s again picking up after the last few years. This however has been purely organic growth as there has been no strategy apart from what the private sector is doing to attract this segment.

We have ample flights to Middle Eastern countries with Emirates Airlines flying four times a day and Qatar increasing to six flights per day, along with Sri Lankan airlines and many others. There is a lot of connectivity and we are fully geared to handle both Indian and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) markets. But we need to create a better brand presence. We should also encourage more diversity in our destination marketing content that makes those of all ethnic backgrounds feel welcome to our paradise island.

Q: In terms of infrastructure and other support-systems what areas do you think need more teeth to enable a tourist a better experience of the country?

A: In terms of logistics, there is a lot to improve. In the last few years, we were not able to import any new vehicles but now an exemption is made for tourism. So now hopefully we will have better quality vehicles for tourists. There is a lot to improve in terms of our public transport as many depend on trains and buses. Especially our trains need to be revamped. Our road network is quite good but there are certain areas which cannot be accessed via public transport. Toilet facilities at railways stations need great improvement for the convenience of both local and foreign tourists.

Q: Although tourism is the lifeblood of the Sri Lankan economy, ironically very little value is given to it in the national school curriculum. What are your thoughts on this?

A: Tourism is a much sought-after career today but our students are not fortunate enough to have a sneak peek at it before they actually enter a hotel school and gain hands-on experience. My view is that we need to expose our school children to all Sri Lankan industries, perhaps as a life skills program where they get to discuss agriculture, tourism, IT, apparels etc. so that they are more prepared for the job market.

Q: Sri Lankan tourism has braved many storms. As a young professional who has always been very vocal about raising the bar for Sri Lanka, what is the message you’d like to give to fellow Lankans to help take the country to the next level?

A: Sri Lankans should first be grateful for what we have. Instead of eternally complaining about politics, we need to focus on the good we still have in this country. This is the only place we could call home. Certainly, it’s not the perfect picture- there are many political and economic mistakes the country has made, but running away from home is not the answer. We need to remain here and fight for a country which the next generation can be proud of.

We need to be thankful to live in a country with eternal sunshine and religious and cultural diversity. Our diversity has been sadly polarized by politics. But despite that we are still very comfortable with our fellow Lankans regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds. We are a country which is still safe to travel in, and far safer than most parts of the developed world too.

I think we need to capitalize on the positive vibe in the country if we are to raise the bar. This is a land that many are envious of. We are virtually sitting on a gold mine and taking it for granted. I encourage all Lankan youth to voice their opinions, develop our systems, and bring this country to its true potential in all aspects.

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Features

More state support needed for marginalised communities

Published

1 hour ago

2026/02/13

Thilina Walpola

A landslide in the Central Province

Message from Malaiyaha Tamil community to govt:

Insights from SSA Cyclone Ditwah Survey

When climate disasters strike, they don’t affect everyone equally. Marginalised communities typically face worse outcomes, and Cyclone Ditwah is no exception. Especially in a context where normalcy is far from “normal”, the idea of returning to normalcy or restoring a life of normalcy makes very little sense.

The island-wide survey (https://ssalanka.org/reports/) conducted by the Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), between early to mid-January on Cyclone Ditwah shows stark regional disparities in how satisfied or dissatisfied people were with the government’s response. While national satisfaction levels were relatively high in most provinces, the Central Province tells a different story.

Only 35.2% of Central Province residents reported that they were satisfied with early warning and evacuation measures, compared to 52.2% nationally. The gap continues across every measure: just 52.9% were satisfied with immediate rescue and emergency response, compared with the national figure of 74.6%. Satisfaction with relief distribution in the Central Province is 51.9% while the national figure stands at 73.1%. The figures for restoration of water, electricity, and roads are at a low 45.9% in the central province compared to the 70.9% in national figures. Similarly, the satisfaction level for recovery and rebuilding support is 48.7% in the Central Province, while the national figure is 67.0%.

A deeper analysis of the SSA data on public perceptions reveals something important: these lower satisfaction rates came primarily from the Malaiyaha Tamil population. Their experience differed not just from other provinces, but also from other ethnic groups living in the Central Province itself.

The Malaiyaha Tamil community’s vulnerability didn’t start with the cyclone. Their vulnerability is a historically and structurally pre-determined process of exclusion and marginalisation. Brought to Sri Lanka during British rule to work for the empire’s plantation economies, they have faced long-term economic exploitation and have repeatedly been denied access to state support and social welfare systems. Most estate residents still live in ‘line rooms’ and have no rights to the land they cultivate and live on. The community continues to be governed by an outdated estate management system that acts as a barrier to accessing public and municipal services such as road repair, water, electricity and other basic infrastructures available to other citizens.

As far as access to improved water sources is concerned, the Sri Lanka Demographic Health Survey (2016) shows that 57% of estate sector households don’t have access to improved water sources, while more than 90% of households in urban and rural areas do. With regard to the level of poverty, as the Department of Census and Statistics (2019) data reveals, the estate sector where most Malaiyaha Tamils live had a poverty headcount index of 33.8%; more than double the national rate of 14.3%. These statistics highlight key indicators of the systemic discrimination faced by the Malaiyaha Tamil community.

Some crucial observations from the SSA data collectors who enumerated responses from estate residents in the survey reveal the specific challenges faced by the Malaiyaha Tamils, particularly in their efforts to seek state support for compensation and reconstruction.

First, the Central Province experienced not just flooding but also the highest number of landslides in the island. As a result, some residents in the region lost entire homes, access roadways, and other basic infrastructures. The loss of lives, livelihoods and land was at a higher intensity compared to the provinces not located in the hills. Most importantly, the Malaiyaha Tamil community’s pre-existing grievances made them even more vulnerable and the government’s job of reparation and restitution more complex.

Early warnings hadn’t reached many areas. Some data collectors said they themselves never heard any warnings in estate areas, while others mentioned that early warnings were issued but didn’t reach some segments of the community. According to the resident data collectors, the police announcements reached only as far as the sections where they were able to drive their vehicles to, and there were many estate roads that were not motorable. When warnings did filter through to remote locations, they often came by word of mouth and information was distorted along the way. Once the disaster hit, things got worse: roads were blocked, electricity went out, mobile networks failed and people were cut off completely.

Emergency response was slow. Blocked roads meant people could not get to hospitals when they needed urgent care, including pregnant mothers. The difficult terrain and poor road conditions meant rescue teams took much longer to reach affected areas than in other regions.

Relief supplies didn’t reach everyone. The Grama Niladhari divisions in these areas are huge and hard to navigate, making it difficult for Grama Niladharis to reach all places as urgently as needed. Relief workers distributed supplies where vehicles could go, which meant accessible areas got help while remote communities were left out.

Some people didn’t even try to go to safety centres or evacuation shelters set up in local schools because the facilities there were already so poor. The perceptions of people who did go to safety centres, as shown in the provincial data, reveal that satisfaction was low compared to other affected regions of the country. Less than half were satisfied with space and facilities (42.1%) or security and protection (45.0%). Satisfaction was even lower for assistance with lost or damaged documentation (17.9%) and information and support for compensation applications (28.2%). Only 22.5% were satisfied with medical care and health services below most other affected regions.

Restoring services proved nearly impossible in some areas. Road access was the biggest problem. The condition of the roads was already poor even before the cyclone, and some still haven’t been cleared. Recovery is especially difficult because there’s no decent baseline infrastructure to restore, hence you can’t bring roads and other public facilities back to a “good” condition when they were never good, even before the disaster.

Water systems faced their own complications. Many households get water from natural sources or small community projects, and not the centralised state system. These sources are often in the middle of the disaster zone and therefore got contaminated during the floods and landslides.

Long-term recovery remains stalled. Without basic infrastructure, areas that are still hard to reach keep struggling to get the support they need for rebuilding.

Taken together, what do these testaments mean? Disaster response can’t be the same for everyone. The Malaiyaha Tamil community has been double marginalised because they were already living with structural inequalities such as poor infrastructure, geographic isolation, and inadequate services which have been exacerbated by Cyclone Ditwah. An effective and fair disaster response needs to account for these underlying vulnerabilities. It requires interventions tailored to the historical, economic, and infrastructural realities that marginalized communities face every day. On top of that, it highlights the importance of dealing with climate disasters, given the fact that vulnerable communities could face more devastating impacts compared to others.

(Shashik Silva is a researcher with the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka)

by Shashik Silva ✍️

Features

Crucial test for religious and ethnic harmony in Bangladesh

Published

1 day ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

A political protest that led to governmental change in Bangladesh mid last year. (photograph: imago)

Will the Bangladesh parliamentary election bring into being a government that will ensure ethnic and religious harmony in the country? This is the poser on the lips of peace-loving sections in Bangladesh and a principal concern of those outside who mean the country well.

The apprehensions are mainly on the part of religious and ethnic minorities. The parliamentary poll of February 12th is expected to bring into existence a government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist oriented Jamaat-e-Islami party and this is where the rub is. If these parties win, will it be a case of Bangladesh sliding in the direction of a theocracy or a state where majoritarian chauvinism thrives?

Chief of the Jamaat, Shafiqur Rahman, who was interviewed by sections of the international media recently said that there is no need for minority groups in Bangladesh to have the above fears. He assured, essentially, that the state that will come into being will be equable and inclusive. May it be so, is likely to be the wish of those who cherish a tension-free Bangladesh.

The party that could have posed a challenge to the above parties, the Awami League Party of former Prime Minister Hasina Wased, is out of the running on account of a suspension that was imposed on it by the authorities and the mentioned majoritarian-oriented parties are expected to have it easy at the polls.

A positive that has emerged against the backdrop of the poll is that most ordinary people in Bangladesh, be they Muslim or Hindu, are for communal and religious harmony and it is hoped that this sentiment will strongly prevail, going ahead. Interestingly, most of them were of the view, when interviewed, that it was the politicians who sowed the seeds of discord in the country and this viewpoint is widely shared by publics all over the region in respect of the politicians of their countries.

Some sections of the Jamaat party were of the view that matters with regard to the orientation of governance are best left to the incoming parliament to decide on but such opinions will be cold comfort for minority groups. If the parliamentary majority comes to consist of hard line Islamists, for instance, there is nothing to prevent the country from going in for theocratic governance. Consequently, minority group fears over their safety and protection cannot be prevented from spreading.

Therefore, we come back to the question of just and fair governance and whether Bangladesh’s future rulers could ensure these essential conditions of democratic rule. The latter, it is hoped, will be sufficiently perceptive to ascertain that a Bangladesh rife with religious and ethnic tensions, and therefore unstable, would not be in the interests of Bangladesh and those of the region’s countries.

Unfortunately, politicians region-wide fall for the lure of ethnic, religious and linguistic chauvinism. This happens even in the case of politicians who claim to be democratic in orientation. This fate even befell Bangladesh’s Awami League Party, which claims to be democratic and socialist in general outlook.

We have it on the authority of Taslima Nasrin in her ground-breaking novel, ‘Lajja’, that the Awami Party was not of any substantial help to Bangladesh’s Hindus, for example, when violence was unleashed on them by sections of the majority community. In fact some elements in the Awami Party were found to be siding with the Hindus’ murderous persecutors. Such are the temptations of hard line majoritarianism.

In Sri Lanka’s past numerous have been the occasions when even self-professed Leftists and their parties have conveniently fallen in line with Southern nationalist groups with self-interest in mind. The present NPP government in Sri Lanka has been waxing lyrical about fostering national reconciliation and harmony but it is yet to prove its worthiness on this score in practice. The NPP government remains untested material.

As a first step towards national reconciliation it is hoped that Sri Lanka’s present rulers would learn the Tamil language and address the people of the North and East of the country in Tamil and not Sinhala, which most Tamil-speaking people do not understand. We earnestly await official language reforms which afford to Tamil the dignity it deserves.

An acid test awaits Bangladesh as well on the nation-building front. Not only must all forms of chauvinism be shunned by the incoming rulers but a secular, truly democratic Bangladesh awaits being licked into shape. All identity barriers among people need to be abolished and it is this process that is referred to as nation-building.

On the foreign policy frontier, a task of foremost importance for Bangladesh is the need to build bridges of amity with India. If pragmatism is to rule the roost in foreign policy formulation, Bangladesh would place priority to the overcoming of this challenge. The repatriation to Bangladesh of ex-Prime Minister Hasina could emerge as a steep hurdle to bilateral accord but sagacious diplomacy must be used by Bangladesh to get over the problem.

A reply to N.A. de S. Amaratunga

A response has been penned by N.A. de S. Amaratunga (please see p5 of ‘The Island’ of February 6th) to a previous column by me on ‘ India shaping-up as a Swing State’, published in this newspaper on January 29th , but I remain firmly convinced that India remains a foremost democracy and a Swing State in the making.

If the countries of South Asia are to effectively manage ‘murderous terrorism’, particularly of the separatist kind, then they would do well to adopt to the best of their ability a system of government that provides for power decentralization from the centre to the provinces or periphery, as the case may be. This system has stood India in good stead and ought to prove effective in all other states that have fears of disintegration.

Moreover, power decentralization ensures that all communities within a country enjoy some self-governing rights within an overall unitary governance framework. Such power-sharing is a hallmark of democratic governance.

Features

Celebrating Valentine’s Day …

Published

1 day ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, romance, and affection, and this is how some of our well-known personalities plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day – 14th February:

Merlina Fernando (Singer)

Yes, it’s a special day for lovers all over the world and it’s even more special to me because 14th February is the birthday of my husband Suresh, who’s the lead guitarist of my band Mission.

We have planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day and his Birthday together and it will be a wonderful night as always.

We will be having our fans and close friends, on that night, with their loved ones at Highso – City Max hotel Dubai, from 9.00 pm onwards.

Lorensz Francke (Elvis Tribute Artiste)

On Valentine’s Day I will be performing a live concert at a Wealthy Senior Home for Men and Women, and their families will be attending, as well.

I will be performing live with romantic, iconic love songs and my song list would include ‘Can’t Help falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Burning Love’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, ‘The Wonder of You’ and ‘’It’s Now or Never’ to name a few.

To make Valentine’s Day extra special I will give the Home folks red satin scarfs.

Emma Shanaya (Singer)

I plan on spending the day of love with my girls, especially my best friend. I don’t have a romantic Valentine this year but I am thrilled to spend it with the girl that loves me through and through. I’ll be in Colombo and look forward to go to a cute cafe and spend some quality time with my childhood best friend Zulha.

JAYASRI

Emma-and-Maneeka

This Valentine’s Day the band JAYASRI we will be really busy; in the morning we will be landing in Sri Lanka, after our Oman Tour; then in the afternoon we are invited as Chief Guests at our Maris Stella College Sports Meet, Negombo, and late night we will be with LineOne band live in Karandeniya Open Air Down South. Everywhere we will be sharing LOVE with the mass crowds.

Kay Jay (Singer)

I will stay at home and cook a lovely meal for lunch, watch some movies, together with Sanjaya, and, maybe we go out for dinner and have a lovely time. Come to think of it, every day is Valentine’s Day for me with Sanjaya Alles.

Maneka Liyanage (Beauty Tips)

On this special day, I celebrate love by spending meaningful time with the people I cherish. I prepare food with love and share meals together, because food made with love brings hearts closer. I enjoy my leisure time with them — talking, laughing, sharing stories, understanding each other, and creating beautiful memories. My wish for this Valentine’s Day is a world without fighting — a world where we love one another like our own beloved, where we do not hurt others, even through a single word or action. Let us choose kindness, patience, and understanding in everything we do.

Janaka Palapathwala (Singer)

Janaka

Valentine’s Day should not be the only day we speak about love.

From the moment we are born into this world, we seek love, first through the very drop of our mother’s milk, then through the boundless care of our Mother and Father, and the embrace of family.

Love is everywhere. All living beings, even plants, respond in affection when they are loved.

As we grow, we learn to love, and to be loved. One day, that love inspires us to build a new family of our own.

Love has no beginning and no end. It flows through every stage of life, timeless, endless, and eternal.

Natasha Rathnayake (Singer)

We don’t have any special plans for Valentine’s Day. When you’ve been in love with the same person for over 25 years, you realise that love isn’t a performance reserved for one calendar date. My husband and I have never been big on public displays, or grand gestures, on 14th February. Our love is expressed quietly and consistently, in ordinary, uncelebrated moments.

With time, you learn that love isn’t about proving anything to the world or buying into a commercialised idea of romance—flowers that wilt, sweets that spike blood sugar, and gifts that impress briefly but add little real value. In today’s society, marketing often pushes the idea that love is proven by how much money you spend, and that buying things is treated as a sign of commitment.

Real love doesn’t need reminders or price tags. It lives in showing up every day, choosing each other on unromantic days, and nurturing the relationship intentionally and without an audience.

This isn’t a judgment on those who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s simply a personal choice.

Melloney Dassanayake (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024)

I truly believe it’s beautiful to have a day specially dedicated to love. But, for me, Valentine’s Day goes far beyond romantic love alone. It celebrates every form of love we hold close to our hearts: the love for family, friends, and that one special person who makes life brighter. While 14th February gives us a moment to pause and celebrate, I always remind myself that love should never be limited to just one day. Every single day should feel like Valentine’s Day – constant reminder to the people we love that they are never alone, that they are valued, and that they matter.

I’m incredibly blessed because, for me, every day feels like Valentine’s Day. My special person makes sure of that through the smallest gestures, the quiet moments, and the simple reminders that love lives in the details. He shows me that it’s the little things that count, and that love doesn’t need grand stages to feel extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, perfection would be something intimate and meaningful: a cozy picnic in our home garden, surrounded by nature, laughter, and warmth, followed by an abstract drawing session where we let our creativity flow freely. To me, that’s what love is – simple, soulful, expressive, and deeply personal. When love is real, every ordinary moment becomes magical.

Noshin De Silva (Actress)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favourite holidays! I love the décor, the hearts everywhere, the pinks and reds, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses all around. But honestly, I believe every day can be Valentine’s Day.

It doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It’s a chance to celebrate love in all its forms with friends, family, or even by taking a little time for yourself.

Whether you’re spending the day with someone special or enjoying your own company, it’s a reminder to appreciate meaningful connections, show kindness, and lead with love every day.

And yes, I’m fully on theme this year with heart nail art and heart mehendi design!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day, but, remember, love yourself first, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

Sending my love to all of you.