Victoria FuhIndia’s growing importance to Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery is opening new opportunities for Colombo’s hospitality sector, particularly across premium leisure, MICE, destination weddings and celebrations. Improved air connectivity from Indian cities, easier access and a rising appetite for short-haul experiential travel are also helping broaden Sri Lanka’s appeal beyond its traditional beach-led proposition.
Against this backdrop, City of Dreams Sri Lanka is looking to position Colombo as a sophisticated urban destination where accommodation, dining, entertainment, wellness and large-scale events come together under one integrated offering. The property is sharpening its focus on established Indian gateways such as Mumbai and Delhi while targeting growth markets including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
In an exclusive interview with Travel Daily Media (TDM), Victoria Fuh, Head of Commercial – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, discusses the group’s India strategy, the opportunities created by new air links, and the growing potential of MICE and destination weddings. She also explains how City of Dreams Sri Lanka is adapting its distribution strategy as AI-powered trip planning and digital channels reshape travel discovery, and outlines the partnerships that will be central to its Indian market growth over the next 12 to 18 months.
Travel Daily Media (TDM): India has become one of Sri Lanka's fastest-growing source markets. How is City of Dreams positioning itself to capture a larger share of Indian leisure, MICE and luxury travellers, and which cities are emerging as your biggest growth opportunities?
Victoria Fuh (VF): India is a market we are investing in with real conviction. It is already Sri Lanka's leading source market, but we believe there is still considerable headroom to grow, particularly in the premium leisure, MICE, weddings and celebrations segments.
City of Dreams Sri Lanka offers something genuinely distinct for the Indian traveller. It is an integrated destination within a single address in Colombo, bringing together accommodation, multiple dining concepts, entertainment, wellness and lifestyle experiences, alongside substantial event infrastructure. This allows us to position the destination not simply as a place to stay, but as part of the overall travel experience.
Mumbai and Delhi remain important feeder markets, while Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad represent significant opportunities for further growth. The Indian market is increasingly diverse, with different cities bringing different travel motivations and business opportunities. Our commercial strategy is therefore not to treat India as one homogeneous market, but to build relationships and propositions that are relevant to each market.
There is also a broader opportunity to change how Indian travellers perceive Colombo. Sri Lanka has traditionally been associated with beach holidays, but Colombo can offer a sophisticated urban experience combining dining, entertainment, culture, business and leisure. City of Dreams Sri Lanka sits at the centre of that evolution.
TDM: The launch of FitsAir's direct Ahmedabad–Colombo service improves connectivity between western India and Sri Lanka. How significant is this route for your business, and do you expect it to reshape travel demand beyond traditional gateways such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru?
VF: Connectivity is one of the most important enablers of inbound demand, so the direct Ahmedabad–Colombo flight is a meaningful development for us and for Sri Lanka more broadly. The route, which commenced in May with three weekly services, gives travellers from Ahmedabad and the wider Gujarat market a more convenient gateway to Colombo.
What is interesting for us is the opportunity to reach a market beyond the traditional Indian gateways. Gujarat has strong potential across leisure, family travel, celebrations, weddings and MICE, which are all strategically relevant segments for City of Dreams Sri Lanka.
The route also allows us to engage more closely with travel trade partners in western India and build the destination into their programmes and recommendations. Connectivity does not create demand on its own, but it removes a significant barrier and gives us the platform to build demand. We therefore see Ahmedabad not simply as another source city, but as an opportunity to diversify our Indian business and establish stronger relationships in western India.
TDM: Indian travellers are increasingly looking for experiential and integrated destinations rather than standalone hotels. How does City of Dreams’ mix of accommodation, dining, entertainment, retail and wellness differentiate Colombo from competing short-haul destinations such as Dubai, Thailand and the Maldives?
VF: The integrated destination model is at the heart of City of Dreams Sri Lanka's proposition, and it is one of our strongest differentiators. We are not asking the traveller to choose between a city break, a resort experience or a cultural holiday. The destination allows them to combine different experiences within one trip. They can stay, dine across multiple concepts, experience entertainment and events, enjoy wellness and lifestyle experiences, and then step outside the property and experience Colombo and the wider island.
For the Indian traveller, that variety is particularly relevant. Sri Lanka offers proximity and cultural familiarity, but it also provides a genuine sense of discovery. Colombo has a growing culinary and cultural scene, a dynamic waterfront and easy access to the wider country's heritage, nature and coastline.
We would not necessarily position Sri Lanka as a substitute for Dubai, Thailand or the Maldives because each destination has its own strengths. Our proposition is different. Sri Lanka offers depth and variety in a relatively compact destination, and City of Dreams Sri Lanka gives travellers a contemporary, integrated base from which to experience it.
TDM: MICE, destination weddings and celebrations continue to be strong growth segments for South Asia. What opportunities do you see for City of Dreams to attract Indian corporate events, incentive groups and wedding business, and what investments have you made to support these markets?
VF: MICE and weddings are two of the most strategically important opportunities we see in the Indian market because they combine high-value business with the potential to introduce large groups of travellers to Sri Lanka. City of Dreams Sri Lanka offers approximately 160,000 square feet of event space across multiple indoor and outdoor venues. This gives us the flexibility to accommodate everything from corporate meetings and incentive programmes to large-scale conferences, destination weddings and multi-day celebrations.
The advantage is not simply the size of the facilities. It is the ability to bring accommodation, dining, entertainment and events together within one integrated destination. For an event organiser, that simplifies the experience operationally, while for the guest, it creates a more cohesive destination experience.
On the wedding side, Sri Lanka has a particularly compelling proposition for the Indian market. It is close enough to be practical, while still offering the sense of travelling abroad and creating a memorable experience. We are strengthening relationships with Indian wedding planners, MICE specialists and event companies and working to build a long-term pipeline rather than approaching these opportunities as individual transactions. The same applies to corporate incentives. We want organisers to see Colombo not just as a meeting destination, but as a destination where the business programme can be complemented by food, culture, entertainment and leisure.
TDM: Travel decisions are increasingly influenced by value, convenience and visa policies. Beyond improved air connectivity, what factors are driving Indian demand for Colombo today, and what challenges still need to be addressed to unlock stronger visitor growth?
VF: Sri Lanka's proposition for the Indian traveller is compelling on several levels. Proximity is an obvious advantage, but it is not the only one. There is also a strong cultural and culinary familiarity between India and Sri Lanka, which creates an immediate level of comfort, while the destination still provides a sense of international travel and discovery.
Visa facilitation is another positive factor. Indian nationals are currently eligible for a free tourist ETA for stays of up to 30 days, subject to the applicable entry requirements. From a commercial perspective, however, the opportunity goes beyond simply making Sri Lanka easier to reach. We need to continue building awareness of the breadth of what Colombo and Sri Lanka can offer. Many Indian travellers still primarily associate Sri Lanka with beaches and leisure. There is an opportunity to broaden that narrative towards culinary experiences, entertainment, shopping, MICE, weddings, culture and premium urban travel.
Connectivity is another area where there is room for growth. While air links between India and Sri Lanka are strong and improving, greater frequency and competitive fares from a wider range of Indian cities would make Sri Lanka even more accessible. For us, the opportunity is therefore both to make the destination easier to access and to give travellers more reasons to choose it.
TDM: Distribution strategies are evolving rapidly with the rise of AI-powered trip planning, OTAs and personalised digital marketing. How is City of Dreams adapting its sales and marketing approach to engage Indian travellers across different booking channels while maintaining strong relationships with the travel trade?
VF: The distribution landscape is changing quickly, and our approach is to be agile without losing sight of the importance of relationships.
The traditional travel trade remains fundamental to our business in India, particularly for MICE, weddings, groups and premium leisure. For these segments, the decision-making process often involves complexity, trust and destination expertise, which makes strong relationships with travel trade partners particularly important. At the same time, the individual leisure traveller is increasingly beginning their journey digitally. They may discover a destination through social media, research it through search, compare options through an OTA and increasingly use AI-powered tools to build an itinerary.
Our role is therefore to be relevant at each stage of that journey. We are strengthening our direct digital presence and developing content and campaigns that speak specifically to Indian travellers, while continuing to equip our trade partners with the information, experiences and tools they need to sell the destination effectively. The objective is not to choose between trade and digital. It is to have a strong presence across both, with the right proposition and message reaching the traveller at the right point in their decision-making journey.
TDM: Looking ahead, what are your sales priorities for the Indian market over the next 12 to 18 months? Are there specific partnerships with airlines, tour operators, online travel agencies or tourism boards that you believe will be critical to achieving your growth targets?
VF: From a commercial perspective, our priorities for the next 12 to 18 months are centred around three areas: deepening our established markets, developing new source markets and building stronger segment-specific partnerships.
will increase our on-ground engagement through trade events, sales visits, familiarisation programmes and direct engagement with key partners. There is no substitute for bringing our partners to Colombo and allowing them to experience City of Dreams Sri Lanka and the destination first-hand.
Connectivity will remain another priority. We will continue to explore opportunities with airline partners, including FitsAir, to develop initiatives that create awareness and stimulate demand alongside improved connectivity.
We also see considerable value in working with tour operators, MICE specialists, wedding planners and OTAs, each of which plays a different role in the traveller journey. Our approach will be to build partnerships based on specific segments and markets rather than simply pursuing distribution for its own sake.
Finally, we will continue to work alongside Sri Lanka Tourism and the wider industry on India-facing trade initiatives. Destination marketing is most effective when the hotel, airline, trade and tourism stakeholders are collectively telling a stronger story about the destination.
Ultimately, our ambition is not simply to increase the number of Indian visitors. It is to build a more diversified and sustainable Indian business across premium leisure, MICE, weddings and celebrations, while establishing City of Dreams Sri Lanka as one of the key gateways through which Indian travellers experience Colombo and Sri Lanka.
