In November 2018, Sri Lanka saw the arrival of three super luxury passenger vessels with combined passenger occupancy of nearly 7,000. Around 72,500 onboard passengers were reported throughout the year.The super luxury passenger vessel MV Mein Schiff 3 of TUI Cruises with 2,430 passengers and 995 crew made her maiden call at the Port of Colombo on November 26. The vessel was welcomed at the East Container Terminal of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

The Chairman of SLPA Dr. Dissanayake said that the Port of Colombo had become an extremely busy port and that there were plans to construct a state of the art passenger terminal at the Port of Colombo. He further said that the process has already started and will be going through procurement process soon.

Assistant Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Harindra Dissanayake said, ‘’we’re delighted to add our contribution in promoting Sri Lanka as a leading travel destination, by establishing Tourist Information Counters in each passenger vessel to create awareness among tourists on Sri Lanka as a leading travel destination. This is done with the purpose of encouraging more tourists to visit Sri Lanka.”