Luxury Cruise Ship ‘Crystal Symphony’ Docks in Trincomalee

Published

2 months ago

February 26, 2026

The luxury cruise ship Crystal Symphony has arrived in Sri Lanka, carrying a group of European tourists.

Renowned globally as a high-end cruise vessel offering premium amenities, the Crystal Symphony is a popular choice among travelers.

The ship, which has the capacity to accommodate 900 passengers and 500 crew members, is equipped with a wide range of specialized luxury facilities.

The facilities provided by the Crystal Symphony include exclusive cabin rooms, restaurants serving international cuisine, swimming pools, theaters and music halls, and library facilities.

The Crystal Symphony arrived at the Trincomalee Harbour yesterday.

The vessel arrived in the country from the Bahamas with 558 tourists on board.

These tourists visited popular attractions in Trincomalee, as well as iconic travel destinations such as Dambulla and Sigiriya.

Meanwhile,within the first 45 days of the year, 436,666 tourists have arrived in the country.

During this month alone, the number of tourist arrivals stands at 159,339.

Sri Lanka literacy hits record 97.4%, gender gap closes for first time

Published

2 days ago

April 12, 2026

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Sri Lanka has achieved a historic education milestone, with literacy rising to 97.4% in 2024, up from 95.7% in 2012.

For the first time since 1881, the literacy gender gap has closed, with males at 97.9% and females at 97.0%.

Digital literacy has reached 67.6%, while computer literacy stands at 34.7%, highlighting Sri Lanka’s growing digital transformation.

$ 900 m in four months: Port City Colombo signals new investment era

Published

3 days ago

April 11, 2026

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From November 2025 to March, Port City Colombo secured approximately $ 900 million in investments, an almost unprecedented surge for a project that had seen gradual traction in its early years amid broader macroeconomic challenges. The timing is not accidental.

After a prolonged period marked by the Easter Sunday attacks, the global shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, the project remained largely in a holding pattern.

International marketing efforts began to gain momentum from late 2025 onwards, as conditions began to stabilise.

“The macro story had to align first,” Aluwihare explained. “You cannot market a country when the fundamentals are unstable. Now, we are seeing recovery, policy alignment, and growing confidence, and we are finally seeing the results.”

From real estate to a ring-fenced financial ecosystem

Port City Colombo’s most significant transformation has been conceptual rather than physical. Originally envisioned as a waterfront real estate development, it has evolved into a fully ring-fenced services export Special Economic Zone (SEZ), enabled by the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act.

Economy

Sri Lanka’s Official Reserves fall 3.5%in March – CBSL

Published

5 days ago

April 9, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s Official Reserve Assets have decreased by 3.5% to USD 7,019 million in March 2026, according to the latest data of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The CBSL states that the decrease is from USD 7,270 million reported in February 2026.

The CBSL further states that the figure for March includes the swap arrangement with the People’s Bank of China.