These bilateral meetings were organized in Paris with leading private sector companies, finance institutions and government agencies, with the BOI Chairman joining a delegation that comprised State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, and Chairman Sri Lankan Airlines Ashok Pathirage.

During this visit the State Minister and the Chairman met with Accor Hotels and Club Med, France’s leading tourism operators to discuss and explore opportunities in luxury leisure development in Sri Lanka on 05 & 07 October 2021 respectively.

Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide. Club Med is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. With Sri Lanka opening its doors and borders to tourism once again, and with potential global investors keen to tap into Sri Lanka as their next investment destination, the country envisages at a minimum, a demand of approximately 30,000 more rooms per annum across the island in the future.

Sri Lanka’s potential as a tourist destination is further heightened by both SriLankan Airlines and Air France operating three flights per week between Colombo and Paris.