“SHE MATTERS” CAMPAIGN PUTS WOMEN AT THE CENTRE OF SRI LANKA’S TOURISM AGENDA

A national storytelling campaign shining a light on the often-overlooked role of women across Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has generated significant engagement across digital and social platforms, reaching policymakers, industry leaders, and wider public audiences since its launch.

The “SHE MATTERS” campaign, an initiative of the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance in partnership with Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) – a programme that supports inclusive economic growth across Asia and the Pacific – brought together stories from women navigating careers in tourism across the North and East, the Central Highlands, the Deep South, and Colombo. Through these geographically diverse narratives, the campaign addressed some of the most persistent structural barriers facing women in the sector: social stigma around hospitality careers, limited access to formal skills pathways, and the absence of visible role models at leadership level.

A podcast series developed with the Advocata Institute extended the campaign’s reach beyond the industry. Known for its credibility among policymakers and thought leaders, Advocata provided a platform for in-depth one-on-one interviews that brought these stories to audiences well outside the traditional tourism conversation.

Malik Fernando, Chair, Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance, said: “The women featured in SHE MATTERS have navigated real barriers – stigma around working in hospitality, limited access to training, and industries that have not always made space for them to lead. We wanted those realities heard at every level of the conversation, from the industry floor to the policy table.”

The campaign is part of a broader effort to shift how the tourism sector approaches workforce development and representation. As Sri Lanka’s visitor economy continues its recovery and expansion, the Alliance is clear that durable growth cannot be built on a workforce where half the potential talent is structurally sidelined.

Maryam Piracha, Country Director Market Development Facility further added, “If Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is to compete and grow, it cannot afford to leave half its workforce behind. MDF’s 2024 study highlighted a clear gap in female participation, driven by challenges in both recruitment and retention. In response, SHE MATTERS was designed to help bridge this gap by supporting businesses to attract more women while promoting retention, career growth, and leadership pathways. Expanding women’s participation is a clear economic opportunity, one that can strengthen businesses, improve productivity, and support a more inclusive and resilient tourism sector. Through these combined initiatives, MDF continues to contribute towards building a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable tourism sector.”

SHE MATTERS represents the Alliance’s view that inclusive tourism is not simply a values commitment – it is a competitive one. The next phase of the campaign will focus on translating the visibility generated into concrete action on skills access and career pathways for women across the industry.