This comes as part of the strategic partnership between Visa and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to promote Sri Lanka as a preferred tourist destination for leisure and MICE tourism
Visa, the global payments leader, announced it will host the Visa Asia Pacific Summit in Sri Lanka to support the country’s MICE tourism. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), affirming Visa’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s digital transformation and economic progress. The partnership aims to position Sri Lanka as a top destination for leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) tourism.
Through a collaborative and comprehensive approach, the partnership will promote inbound travel, boost tourist spending, and digitize key tourist corridors through Visa’s Acceptance Solutions. It will also empower micro and small businesses (MSMEs) in the sector with skilling and financial literacy programs. These modules will be developed by Visa and hosted on the SLTPB website to provide foundational skills to MSMEs in the tourism sector.
Speaking about the MoU, Stephen Karpin, Regional President, Asia Pacific, Visa said, “Sri Lanka is an important strategic market for Visa in our APAC and global business agenda. We have been serving in this country for over 37 years. Tourism is central to Sri Lanka’s economic growth, and we are proud to partner with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to enhance how the world experiences this remarkable country”. He further added, “The MoU and our leadership summit currently being held at Colombo, reflect our intent and continuous commitment to partner Sri Lanka in advancing its tourism aspirations and transition to a digitally driven economy.”
Buddhika Hewawasam, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, said, “The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Visa, a collaboration aimed at enhancing the travel experience through secure and seamless financial transactions, empowering tourism industry through financial literacy, tourism skilling and joint marketing activities in promoting Sri Lanka”. He also said, “This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to digital innovation, ensuring that Sri Lanka remains a premier destination for global travelers while upholding our nation’s rich cultural heritage. While thanking Visa for holding their first ever Asia Pacific Leadership Conference in Sri Lanka to promote MICE tourism, we look forward to leveraging this partnership to further strengthen Sri Lanka’s position in the international tourism landscape.”
The partnership is yet another testament to Visa’s broader collaboration with national stakeholders. Visa is also working with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), to enable payment acceptance across tourist corridors and contribute to regional training and skilling initiatives.
Underscoring its commitment to boosting tourism in Sri Lanka, currently, Visa is hosting its Asia Pacific Leadership Summit for which the Visa Asia-Pacific senior leadership has travelled to Colombo and would be staying for three days. The summit reflects Visa’s intent to strengthen its collaboration with Sri Lankan stakeholders across tourism and digitization of the economy.
Visa has been a long-standing ally in enhancing Sri Lanka’s tourism ecosystem. It continues to invest behind influencer-led campaigns targeting travelers, merchant education and branding initiatives to improve digital payments’ adoption in tourist zones.
Beyond tourism, Visa, through its Government Solutions platform, has helped elevate public service delivery by digitizing public payments, facilitating card-based transactions for essential services, and enabled digital ticketing and toll payments through partnerships with local banks. Working with the Ministry of Digital Economy (MODE), Visa is helping to streamline citizen payments for services like utility bills, license renewals, and taxes through Visa cards.
Speaking at the occasion, Stephen Karpin said, “Our strategic partnership with the Ministry of Digital Economy supports Sri Lanka’s e-governance and digital transformation goals. Sri Lankans would be able to unlock easy and secure access to public services through digitized payments using Visa cards. In line with Sri Lanka’s objective to be an inclusive digital economy, it would fuel the transition of small businesses to digitization and lead to future innovations like mobile wallet integration and cross-border payments.”
Hon. (Eng) Eranga Weeraratne, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, said this about Visa, ”As Sri Lanka accelerates its journey toward a digitally empowered economy, strategic partnerships with global leaders like Visa have become instrumental in realizing our vision. Visa’s support for our government’s digital strategy has not only enhanced the efficiency and transparency of public service delivery but also empowered citizens and small businesses to thrive in a modern, cashless ecosystem.” He also said, “Through Visa’s Government Solutions platform, we will be able to digitize public payments, making it easier for citizens to access essential services securely and conveniently, support micro and small enterprises by facilitating their transition to digital payments, thereby expanding their market reach and financial resilience and explore digital identity integration and real-time disbursement solutions, which are critical to building an inclusive digital economy. Visa’s global expertise and commitment to innovation have aligned seamlessly with our national priorities—whether in public sector modernization, financial inclusion, or digital infrastructure development.”
To promote financial inclusion in Sri Lanka, Visa is invested in empowering youth and women led micro and small businesses (MSMEs) through programs like – SPARK for young entrepreneurs in partnership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, financial literacy workshops for women owned businesses in Monaragala, and tech education initiatives with SOS Children’s Villages and BCS Sri Lanka. Visa also brings innovations like contactless payments, wearables, and AI-driven cybersecurity tools in partnership with our banking partners in the country.
