Published: February 15, 2026, 11:47 AM
Sri Lanka has withdrawn support for a proposed tourism initiative to attract LGBTQ travelers after influential Christian and Buddhist leaders pressured the government to abandon what they described as the unethical promotion of homosexuality.
Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe informed the Court of Appeal on Feb. 10 that a letter issued by the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) endorsing LGBTIQ tourism projects had been withdrawn.
The statement was conveyed by state counsel for the respondents during a writ petition seeking to annul the decision.
The authority had planned an advertising campaign to attract LGBTQ tourists. The initiative, proposed in September 2025, was spearheaded by Equal Ground, Sri Lanka’s oldest LGBTQ rights organization.
The announcement of withdrawal came as the court heard a petition against the initiative, filed by Gunadasa Amarasekara, convenor of the rights group the National Patriotic Movement, and several others.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had urged government leaders to remove officials supporting the initiative, calling the approved letter problematic.
Chief Buddhist monks representing the country’s three main monastic chapters wrote to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, warning that promoting LGBTQ tourism could harm cultural values and lead to serious social consequences.
Petitioners argued that promoting a tourism sector catering to gay travelers was unlawful and unconstitutional.
The chairman of the nation’s tourism authority, Buddhika Hewawasam, said the letter was withdrawn to avoid ambiguity, maintain institutional integrity, and ensure alignment with the national tourism policy
F.E. Dias, president of the pro-life group Cultura Vitae (culture of life), criticized the initiative, saying it “normalizes deviance” and drives national business “into sin.” He alleged that LGBTQ tourism promotion would encourage immoral behavior, including exploitation.
“Some education reforms use equity and inclusivity as code words to promote so-called comprehensive sexuality education, normalizing promiscuity, sodomy, abortion rights, and portraying prostitution as dignified within school curricula nationwide,” Dias told UCA News.
Following the withdrawal, some online commentators argued that the court had previously endorsed a 2022 private member’s bill introduced by lawmaker Premnath C. Dolawatte, which sought to decriminalize same-sex acts by amending the Penal Code.
Niroshan Saman, an activist based in Ja-Ela, a town near the capital, Colombo, said the initiative could diversify Sri Lanka`s tourism markets and demonstrate that the debt-hit nation is a safe and hospitable destination as it rebuilds its foreign exchange reserves.
Activists like Saman say tourism in Sri Lanka has rebounded, with more than 2.3 million visitors in 2025, mainly from India, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Germany.
The country recorded 2.05 million arrivals in 2024 as it recovered from a severe debt crisis, according to official records.
Nuwan Roshan, a rights activist based in Colombo, said LGBTQ people are citizens like any others.
“We want our country to progress. If we constantly raise such questions, we will never move forward,” Roshan told UCA News.
