Australia’s MDF and Thema Collection convene industry to explore way forward for wellness tourism

The Market Development Facility (MDF) of Australia recently collaborated with hotel chain Thema Collection to host a forum titled "Positioning Sri Lanka as a Sustainable Wellness Destination." The event aimed to explore strategies to enhance Sri Lanka's wellness tourism offerings and tap into new source markets. Key attendees included Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe, Australia's Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ruth Baird, government representatives, industry leaders, and academics.

The forum highlighted the growing global trend of travelers seeking authentic wellness experiences, with Sri Lanka emerging as a top destination in the 2026 BookRetreats Wellness Destination Index, thanks to its Ayurvedic heritage. MDF shared insights from its study on Japan's outbound wellness tourism market, emphasizing the increasing demand for wellness-focused travel.

The keynote address by Deputy Minister Ranasinghe underscored the government's commitment to creating a conducive policy environment and fostering collaboration between government and industry to position Sri Lanka as a world-class wellness destination. Thema Collection, with 17 properties in its chain, including Ayurvedic resorts, shared its sustainability journey, emphasizing the inseparability of wellness and sustainability in creating meaningful guest experiences and contributing to the destination's competitiveness.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.