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A Gazette notification amending the Betting and Gambling Levy has been issued, coming into effect from 1 October.

Under the new regulation, the levy on gross collections from gambling operations, including bookmakers and gaming operators, has been raised from 15% to 18%.

The amendment also doubles the casino entry fee for Sri Lankan citizens to $ 100.

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) has urged the Government to prioritise a sustained global destination marketing campaign to help the country achieve its target of 5 million tourist arrivals and $ 10 billion in annual revenue by 2030, warning that the opportunity will slip away unless immediate action is taken.

Speaking at the 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the SLAITO, President Nalin Jayasundera emphasised that tourism, though private-sector driven, can only thrive through close collaboration with the Government and key public institutions.

He pledged the SLAITO’s full commitment to supporting national goals but stressed that marketing Sri Lanka effectively to the world remains the missing link in realising its full potential.

‘Tourism can become Sri Lanka’s number one foreign exchange earner, but it will only happen if we launch a long-term global campaign-one that is fair to all stakeholders and prioritised without further delay,’ Jayasundera said.

Calling for greater marketing coordination, he opined Sri Lanka must be transformed into a year-round destination, eliminating the current off-season slump.

‘If we get our marketing right, there will be no off-season. Effective marketing will generate demand and ensure the right price for our products and services. Otherwise, Sri Lanka will remain the best-kept secret in world tourism,’ he warned.

Jayasundera also urged the Government to create a level playing field by ensuring that all tourism-related service providers, including online platforms, are taxed equitably.

He called for State support in co-marketing initiatives with airlines and tour operators, a model successfully adopted by competing destinations to secure loyalty from key market generators.

The SLAITO President also welcomed recent Government decisions, including the establishment of a Presidential Tourism Task Force, the proposal to grant free visas to 40 countries, and the resumption of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion and the Colombo-Kandy highway; describing them as ‘steps in the right direction’ that could accelerate growth if implemented swiftly.

In addition, Jayasundera underscored several operational and human resource challenges that must be addressed urgently to improve visitor experience and industry competitiveness. These include simplifying train ticket purchases, managing overcrowding at popular attractions, and resolving the acute shortage of foreign-language-speaking tour guides, which has forced some destination management companies (DMCs) to turn away bookings.

He revealed that the SLAITO, together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), is working to expand the pool of professional guides. To address the immediate gap, the Association has decided to increase guide fees by 55% from 1 December 2025, with official communication to follow.

Highlighting the need for sustained engagement between the public and private sectors, Jayasundera reiterated the SLAITO’s support for the joint proposal made with the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), and Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers (SLAPCEO), should a new Tourism Act be introduced.

On product development and promotion, he commended the success of ‘Sancharaka Udawa,’ the annual tourism exhibition organised by the SLAITO, noting that it achieved record participation this year. ‘Plans are underway to elevate the event into an international travel fair in Colombo in 2026, featuring foreign buyers,’ he disclosed.

The SLAITO President stressed that the tourism industry, though highly sensitive, remains one of Sri Lanka’s strongest engines for economic recovery.

‘If we work together, we will succeed together,’ he said, adding that under the leadership of the Deputy Minister, they look forward to collaborating to achieve shared objectives for the nation.

Living beyond means has been a salient feature of Sri Lanka’s post-independent economy. Except for two years (in 1954 and 1955 under the premiership of Late Sir John Kotelawala), all Budgets in the island have ended up in deficits. Fiscal discipline is perceived by lawmakers as a political liability while Governments that strived hard to achieve fiscal prudence have often been defeated by voters at elections.

The recent announcement by the Treasury that Sri Lanka’s budget deficit declined by 55% or Rs. 411 billion in August 2025 from a year earlier is a noteworthy development in the backdrop of revenue-based fiscal consolidation having been recognised as a key benchmark of the IMF-mandated economic reforms. According to the latest figures, tax revenue expanded to Rs. 3,068.5 billion over the first eight months of the year from Rs. 2,348.5 billion during last year. The increase in Government revenue has been ably assisted by the increase in import volumes as a result of the economic recovery in addition to gradual relaxation of import restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Customs Department had collected Rs. 1,724 billion in revenue during the first nine months of this year compared to Rs. 1,116.1 billion in the same period last year, representing a 54.5% growth. As of mid-September 2025, over 220,000 vehicles have been imported into the country since the import ban was lifted on 1 February 2025. Sri Lanka Customs has set a revenue target of Rs. 2,115 billion for this year, compared to Rs. 1,553 billion during previous year. Customs had earned Rs. 165 billion from vehicle imports since the ban was lifted and expect tax revenue of Rs. 450 billion for the current year from vehicle imports.

The decline in capital expenditure to Rs. 331.2 billion from Rs. 435 billion last year too has contributed towards the decline in the budget deficit. A reduction in capital expenditure is generally associated with lowered growth prospects. However, in Sri Lanka, capital spending, particularly with regard to construction of roads, highways, and buildings is often associated with corruption and political patronage. Given the funding constraints, the Government would be well advised to explore public-private partnerships to implement essential infrastructure development programs to ensure economic growth is not constrained by fiscal tightening.

Despite the Government’s vociferous commitment to reduce waste and unnecessary spending, recurrent expenditure until August rose to Rs. 3,381.3 billion by 11.2% from Rs. 3,041.6 billion last year. Recurrent expenditure cannot be brought down by trivial measures like taking over the official residences of former presidents or by indulging in frugality as some politicians in the Government opine. Recurrent expenditure is likely to increase further with the Government expecting to recruit a considerable number of individuals into the public sector, including the postal service which has experienced a substantial reduction in demand for its services.

The NPP administration should review its stance on State-owned commercial enterprises. The plans to privatise loss-making enterprises like SriLankan Airlines were reversed by the Government and as a consequence the taxpayers’ money needs to be doled out as current transfers to ensure the continuity of such entities. Reforming institutions like the CEB, CPC and SriLankan Airlines is imperative to rectify persistent fiscal shortcomings. It is also vital to assess the island’s bloated public sector workforce which has been a huge burden on the island’s taxpayers over the years.

The IMF had pointed out that Sri Lanka needs to entrench fiscal discipline to avoid the repetition of the crisis it experienced in 2022. Prioritisation and rationalisation of public expenditure too needs to be pursued vigorously while expanding the Government revenue to maintain prudence in public finances. In spite of adverse political repercussions, steps need to be taken to close down State institutions that have outlived their usefulness.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake yesterday said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remains a vital partner in Sri Lanka’s accelerated journey from crisis to recovery, and that the Government regards its support not merely as external assistance, but as an integral element of its comprehensive strategy for sustainable economic progress.

This is according to statement issued by the President’s Media Division yesterday.

Speaking at the fifth mid-point review meeting yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat with an IMF delegation, the President said that the Government’s reform agenda focused on long-term stability, inclusive growth, and investor confidence.

The sixth tranche of the IMF Extended Fund Facility is scheduled for release in December.

During the discussions, the IMF delegation commended Sri Lanka’s reform progress, noting that the country’s economic reform program is yielding commendable outcomes. They highlighted that reforms were bearing fruit, with economic growth outperforming expectations, foreign reserves strengthening, and fiscal revenues improving.

The IMF further observed that sustaining reform momentum is critical to safeguarding macroeconomic stability, consolidating recovery, and building resilience against global uncertainties, including trade policy shifts and geopolitical tensions.

President Disanayake noted that attracting investments plays a decisive role in the Government’s economic expansion drive, particularly in driving rural development and creating employment opportunities.

He said that while the IMF’s continued support has been instrumental in restoring confidence and stability, ensuring robust infrastructure and a conducive investment environment was vital for sustaining growth.

The President also said that to maintain the Government’s projected growth targets, it was imperative for Sri Lanka to exceed the targets set by the IMF, which requires a strong inflow of foreign direct investments (FDIs). He stated that achieving this will demand continued fiscal discipline, policy consistency, and strategic facilitation of investment opportunities across key sectors.

Reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to reform and recovery, President Disanayake told the IMF delegation that his Government was determined to build a resilient, investment-driven economy that ensures inclusive national development. He noted that the IMF remains a key strategic partner in Sri Lanka’s ongoing journey toward financial stability, economic resilience, and sustainable growth.

The IMF delegation was led by Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou, Sri Lanka Resident Representative Martha Woldemichael, and IMF officials Sandesh Dhungana, Ursula Wiriadinata, Dinar Prihardini, Samson Kwalingana, Ozlem Aydin, Danilo Palermo, and Manavee Abeyawickrama.

Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa informed Parliament yesterday that steps are underway to resolve the shortage of dialysis needles after the initially contracted supplier failed to deliver the required type.

Responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, the Minister said the supplier appointed to provide the needles had not supplied the specified type needed for dialysis treatments, causing a temporary shortage in hospitals.

He said the Government has now engaged a new supplier and initiated emergency purchases from alternate sources to ensure continuous treatment for kidney patients. Funds have also been allocated to state and provincial hospitals to make local procurements until normal supplies resume.

According to the Minister, the required consignment of dialysis needles is expected to arrive by 12 October, while stocks for major hospitals and regional Medical Supplies Divisions have already been secured.

‘The Medical Supplies Division has opted for local purchasing to address the immediate shortfall after the selected supplier failed to meet specifications,’ Jayatissa said.

Parliament yesterday passed the Convention against Doping in Sport (Amendment) Bill without any changes.

The Bill, which was taken up for its second reading, seeks to enhance Sri Lanka’s legal framework to better align with international standards in the fight against doping in sports.

Parliament Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, thereafter endorsed the certificate on the Convention against Doping in Sport (Amendment) Bill.

The new law amends the Convention against Doping in Sports Act No. 33 of 2013, aligning Sri Lanka’s anti-doping legislation with international standards.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) annually monitors the laws and regulations on doping in sports in Sri Lanka and accordingly, this Bill aims to amend the existing Act in accordance with the laws and regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency to bring it in line with the needs of modern sports.

Sri Lanka yesterday rejected the latest United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on the country as an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the Council’s mandate, asserting that the Government’s own reconciliation and human rights processes should take precedence over external mechanisms.

Speaking at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka, said Colombo participated in discussions on draft resolution A/HRC/60/L.1/Rev.1 – Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka ‘in a spirit of open and constructive engagement’ but could not agree to key provisions. ‘We appreciate the core group’s engagement on language amendments proposed by Sri Lanka.

We however regret that we couldn’t find agreement on certain key concerns for us,’ she said.

The resolution, adopted in Geneva on Monday without a vote, extends the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) mandate on Sri Lanka for another two years.

Sri Lanka’s principal objection is to the continued reference to UNHRC Resolution 51/1 of 2022, which created an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR. ‘In our view, this is an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the Council’s mandate,’ Ambassador Arunatilaka said. ‘Sri Lanka does not accept the external evidence-gathering mechanism set up by the OHCHR, which it has labelled as the Sri Lanka Accountability Project.’

She said the initiative undermines Sri Lanka’s domestic reconciliation and accountability efforts, which include strengthening the Offices on Missing Persons and Reparations, the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, and operationalising a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and an independent Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Arunatilaka also questioned the transparency of the OHCHR project. ‘After four years of its existence, this Council is yet to see any benefits of this project for the people of Sri Lanka,’ she said, adding that extending its mandate ‘will only serve elements with vested interests seeking to create divisions and polarise communities’ and would be counterproductive to national reconciliation efforts.

Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka’s statement in full is as follows:

‘Sri Lanka participated in discussions on this resolution in a spirit of open and constructive engagement that we have demonstrated throughout in our interactions with this Council.

We appreciate the core group’s engagement on language amendments proposed by Sri Lanka. We however regret that we couldn’t find agreement on certain key concerns for us.

While we thank all delegations for their constructive participation on the draft text, Sri Lanka particularly wishes to thank very sincerely, those countries which made positive suggestions during informal consultations and bilateral meetings.

As Sri Lanka had indicated from the beginning to the core group, our fundamental issue with the text is the reference to resolution 51/1 of 2022 denoting the external evidence gathering mechanism on Sri Lanka within the OHCHR, which, in our view is an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the Council´s mandate.

Participating in the Interactive Dialogue on Sri Lanka on 8 September, the Foreign Affairs Minister reiterated that Sri Lanka does not accept the external evidence gathering mechanism set up by the OHCHR, which it has labelled as the ‘Sri Lanka Accountability Project’, at a time when the Government is continuing to strengthen the domestic institutions based on its genuine commitment to reconciliation and human rights in the interests of our own people.

The ongoing domestic processes include strengthening the independent Offices on Missing Persons and Reparations, and the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, as well as the operationalisation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and an independent Public Prosecutor´s Office.

Sri Lanka, as well as many other countries, have repeatedly questioned the credibility and transparency of how this Project within the OHCHR was set up, its work and the budget allocated to it. After 4 years of its existence, this Council is yet to see any benefits of this Project for the people of Sri Lanka.

This is clearly evident from the contents of the High Commissioner’s Report as well. The extension of its mandate will only serve the interests of elements with vested interests seeking to create divisions and polarise the communities in Sri Lanka, and will be counterproductive to the Government’s efforts on promoting unity, reconciliation and human rights.

We firmly believe that genuine nationally owned processes are best placed to address matters relating to human rights. National processes are rooted in the local context, allow for greater ownership, recognise unique sensitivities, and make implementation of action more efficient and effective.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights who visited Sri Lanka in June this year had the opportunity to experience first-hand the ‘momentum of change’ across all segments of the Sri Lankan society and the ‘genuine openness of the Government to address issues’.

In his report to this Council too, the High Commissioner highlighted that there is a historic opportunity in Sri Lanka to implement transformative reforms. As set out by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in his statement to this Council, within a very short time, the Government has taken a series of tangible and decisive steps on reconciliation and human rights. Therefore, it is only fair that Sri Lanka be allowed to seize this opportunity to advance the rights of its own people through domestic processes.

For these reasons, we do not agree with coercive international action, and we reject resolution 60/L.1/Rev.1 presented to this Council,’ Ambassador Arunatilaka said.

In a landmark display of how strategic digital advertising can transform nationally significant industries, Roar Global’s 3P Media, the official Media Sales Representative (MSR) for Google in Sri Lanka, Laos, and Brunei has enabled SriLankan Airlines to surpass its monthly direct booking revenue targets by +23% – recording the national carrier’s highest-ever monthly revenue through Google Ads.

The milestone signifies the growing role of performance-driven digital marketing in accelerating national industries into the digital age, with SriLankan Airlines leading the way as the country’s flagship carrier.

SriLankan Airlines Manager – Digital Commerce Bimali Malalasekara said: ‘Google Ads have become a cornerstone of our digital strategy in boosting direct booking share for SriLankan Airlines. Through the strategic advancement of our campaign approach, we achieved the highest-ever monthly direct booking revenue in May 2025, a record-breaking milestone in our e-commerce journey.’

At a time when global travel competition is intensifying, and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) dominate booking share, SriLankan Airlines has set out to reclaim and grow its direct booking channel across key global markets. With support from 3P Media and the strategic application of Google’s ‘Power Pair’ strategy, combining ‘Performance Max’ and Search campaigns, the airline has optimised its campaign delivery using first-party data, dynamic market insights, and AI-led targeting across channels.

The result was a +30% increase in revenue and a +23% uplift over forecasted revenue targets, firmly establishing Google Ads as a core revenue driver for the airline’s eCommerce operations.

3P Media Regional Account Director Jaynevieve Davidson said: ‘These campaigns demonstrate the impact of leveraging data with agility and foresight. By addressing seasonality and staying proactive to market shifts and consumer trends, in addition to the right Google Solutions, we’ve helped SriLankan Airlines advance its digital ambitions. This is a great example of how embracing data at scale can translate into measurable impact and long-term digital growth.’

The case study was first unveiled at the DMASL Digital Summit 2025, where it was presented as a benchmark of digital excellence, highlighting best practices for marketing professionals, decision-makers, and digital leaders shaping the future of platform advertising in Sri Lanka.

This campaign underscores 3P Media’s broader mandate to enable sectors of national importance, including travel, eCommerce, education, and retail, to unlock growth through world-class digital advertising solutions.

Sherry Turkle, the American sociologist, once said: ‘Technology doesn’t just change what we do; it changes who we are. Online, without empathy and respect, we risk treating people as objects rather than as human beings.’

She said this more than a decade ago, during the golden era of Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson. Soon after, between 2010 and 2013, the analog lifestyle began to fade. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and social distancing, accelerated this shift. The digital revolution brought us fully online, from emails and social media to automation and AI. More than ever before, we began to socialise, share, comment, like, and dislike in a screen-mediated world.

Moral reasoning in a screen-mediated world

As noted in the textbook ‘An Introduction to Child Development’ (Keenan, Evans and Crowley, 2016), young people’s behaviour in digital spaces often reflects the responsibility and accountability they develop as they mature. As independence grows, their sense of right and wrong increasingly guides how they use their digital spaces. However, Flores and James (2013) found that moral reasoning is less connected to conduct when mediated by screens. An integrative review in 2025 echoed this concern, noting that online behaviour frequently violates widely accepted moral standards.

What is moral reasoning? It is the capacity to think critically about right and wrong, guided by principles like fairness, justice, care, and well-being for others. As Thomas Hobbes warned: without moral reasoning and order, ‘life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.’ Is this what happens when we interact through digital screens? Are we drifting toward a society marked by diminished moral reasoning?

Cyberbullying and technology-facilitated violence

A large part of our social life now takes place in digital domains, yet screen-mediated interactions often lack clear moral anchors. According to the ‘Digital 2025 July Global Report’, about one in three people has a social media account, and more than half of the world uses the internet. A 2021 survey by the British Council Sri Lanka and Sarvodaya Institute of Higher Learning found that most young people in Sri Lanka spend between 30 minutes and 3 hours a day on social media. But what happens when empathy and responsibility collapse? Our online society begins to echo the chaos Hobbes described.

Last month (August 2025), Indian social media influencer Makeover Yash, a popular figure in fashion and grooming, reportedly died by suicide after relentless online bullying. This tragic event is not unique to India. Cyberbullying is far more common than many realise. In 2022, Women In Need (WIN) conducted an island-wide study in Sri Lanka on ‘Technology-facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls’. The findings revealed rising levels of hate speech, harassment, threats, and bullying. Women and girls reported receiving unwanted explicit content, threatening calls, and blackmail tied to intimate photos shared without consent. Nearly one in four respondents said someone they knew had been subjected to online sexual harassment.

This form of abuse spares no one; it cuts across political ideology, age, gender, and sexual orientation. Victims experience sexual and non-sexual harassment that inflicts psychological, social, and economic harm. The psychological toll includes helplessness, distress, and suicidal thoughts. Social harm manifests as humiliation, strained family ties, and broken trust, while economic harm shows up in disrupted education, stalled careers, and tarnished reputations. A quick scroll through Facebook or Instagram reveals plenty of curse words, hate-filled posts, revenge-driven content, and vulgar language, evidence of how unhealthy and unsafe our digital spaces can be.

Digital safety

How can we make this digital society safer? Some advocate for regulation. Yet Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act (OSA) has drawn sharp criticism from civil society and human rights groups. Though presented as a way to protect people from online harm, in practice, it risks censorship, surveillance, and shrinking democratic space.

Others suggest deleting social media accounts altogether. While simple in theory, this is rarely practical. Parents often advise it, but research shows prohibiting online engagement does not reduce risks and instead limits opportunities (Livingstone et al., 2017). In today’s data-driven world, few can afford to disconnect.

The good news is we are not powerless. Education, awareness, and the right interventions can minimise the harm of cyberbullying and trolling. Practicing digital empathy and responsible digital citizenship is a crucial step.

Digital citizenship

The concept of ‘digital citizenship’ emerged as a way to create safe and respectful online societies. It refers to confident, positive engagement with technology; the ability to participate responsibly, respect rights and dignity, and cultivate a thoughtful online presence.

Most of us are already digital citizens. Even offline, we cannot fully escape the digital world. Digital citizenship is not just about using technology; it is about behaving ethically and respectfully in digital spaces.

We must remember that behind every screen is a human being with feelings, challenges, and family responsibilities. Acting responsibly online is as important as being a responsible citizen in the offline world. In a fast-moving society where information shifts in seconds, this responsibility is vital to building safer communities.

Digital empathy

When engaging in online debates, especially on heated political issues, we often forget the human being on the other side. Online, people say things they would never dare say face-to-face.

Digital empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others through technology. Unlike face-to-face interactions, where tone, body language, and expressions carry meaning, online communication relies on text, emojis, and symbols. Practicing digital empathy means interpreting these cues carefully, listening actively, respecting perspectives, and offering support in virtual spaces.

By remembering that there is a human being on the other side of the screen, and by respecting their dignity while being mindful of our own actions, we can build digital spaces that are healthier and safer for all. We raise the standard when we call out indecent behaviour and choose to stand firmly for humanity and decency.

When analysts point out that Sri Lanka has only a handful of listed companies valued over a billion dollars compared to Singapore’s 77 or Vietnam’s 44, the instinctive response is often: ‘We need more billion-dollar companies.’ But this misses a more fundamental question that communications professionals should be asking: Is corporate gigantism really the goal?

Perhaps the more revealing statistic isn’t how few billion-dollar companies we have, but how many mid-sized businesses are stuck, unable to access capital, expand sustainably, or tell their stories effectively. Perhaps the problem isn’t that we lack corporate giants, but that we’ve failed to build an ecosystem where diverse businesses across multiple scales can thrive, innovate, and create meaningful value.

This is where the narrative needs to shift, and where PR and communications professionals have a critical strategic role to play.

The real gap: From growth capital to growth stories

When the Asian Development Bank projects Sri Lanka’s growth slowing from 3.9pct in 2025 to 3.3pct in 2026 and with US tariffs threatening $634 million in exports and 16,000 jobs, mostly female apparel workers, the communication failure isn’t about celebrating big companies. It’s about the silence around adaptation, resilience, and alternative pathways.

Where are the stories of medium-sized exporters who’ve successfully pivoted to non-traditional markets? Where are the narratives about companies choosing sustainable growth over extractive expansion? Where are the case studies of businesses that prioritised worker welfare and innovation over quarterly revenue targets, and succeeded because of it, not despite it?

The fixation on billion-dollar valuations obscures a more important conversation: How do we build an economy where businesses of all sizes, from artisan cooperatives to tech startups to family enterprises, can access the resources, markets, and credibility they need to create value?

Sri Lanka’s capital markets don’t just lack depth and liquidity; they lack diversity of thought. Venture capital remains underdeveloped not because we don’t have capital, but because we haven’t communicated alternative models of success convincingly enough. When every ‘success story’ looks like corporate consolidation and market domination, we shouldn’t be surprised when investors can’t imagine other possibilities.

The innovation paradox: Small can be significant

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: few Sri Lankan corporates are genuinely innovation-driven, and the ecosystem for research, startups, and technology remains shallow. But the solution isn’t to copy Silicon Valley’s ‘grow fast or die’ model. It’s to communicate what innovation actually looks like in the Sri Lankan context.

Take the upcoming Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit in December, exploring opportunities in cinnamon, seafood, electronics, minerals, and advanced manufacturing. These sectors don’t need billion-dollar corporations to succeed. They need well-capitalised, efficiently-run, technology-enabled businesses that can compete on quality, sustainability, and specialisation.

A cinnamon exporter that uses blockchain for supply chain transparency, pays fair wages, and commands premium pricing in niche markets might never be ‘worth a billion dollars.’ But it creates more sustainable value-economic, social, environmental-than a bloated conglomerate optimising for market cap.

The communications challenge is to make these stories as compelling as the unicorn narratives that dominate global business media. We need to shift the conversation from ‘How big can you get?’ to ‘How much value can you create, and for whom?’

The policy communication disconnect

When the government underspends on poverty alleviation-failing to meet even the IMF’s modest target of 0.7% of GDP on social safety nets-while a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, the communication failure is profound.

This isn’t just bad policy; it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what creates a healthy business environment. Child malnutrition increased from 12.2% to 17% between 2021 and 2024. Over half of households use coping mechanisms like skipping meals. These aren’t just humanitarian crises, they’re market failures and demand destruction in real time.

Smart communications professionals should be making the business case for inclusive growth, not as corporate social responsibility window-dressing, but as economic necessity. You cannot build a thriving economy, of any scale, on widespread poverty and food insecurity.

Yet the narrative around ‘business-friendly policy’ rarely includes wealth taxes, progressive taxation, or strengthened social safety nets. When the World Bank reports that focusing on high-earning individuals could increase Personal Income Tax revenue by 169%, and when direct taxes primarily impact the richest 10% of Sri Lankans, why isn’t the business community communicating support for these measures?

Because too often, ‘business interests’ are defined narrowly as ‘what helps large corporations and wealthy individuals pay less tax’ rather than ‘what creates stable, inclusive conditions for diverse businesses to flourish.’

Reimagining corporate success: A communications framework

So what would a reimagined communications strategy look like? One that moves beyond billion-dollar ambitions to sustainable value creation? Here are five principles:

1. Value creation over valuation

Instead of celebrating market capitalisation, communicate impact metrics: jobs created (and their quality), innovation deployed, sustainability practices, worker welfare, community investment, and long-term resilience.

This isn’t greenwashing. It’s a fundamental reframing of what ‘success’ means. When the Construction PMI hits 61.1 in August with project availability increasing, the story shouldn’t just be about growth. It should be about whether that growth includes decent work, environmental standards, and local procurement.

2. Diversification as strategy, not weakness

The focus on billion-dollar companies often comes with an implicit assumption that ‘focus’ and ‘specialisation’ mean doing one thing at massive scale. But in a small, vulnerable economy like Sri Lanka’s, diversification isn’t a weakness, it’s survival.

Communications teams should be telling stories about businesses that successfully operate across multiple sectors, serve different market segments, or maintain portfolio approaches that provide resilience against shocks. The economy expanded 4.8pct year-on-year in Q1 2025 not because of corporate giants, but because of diversified activity across manufacturing, construction, and services.

3. Sustainable internationalisation

Yes, too many Sri Lankan companies remain dependent on local markets. But the solution isn’t just ‘go global at any cost.’ It’s strategic internationalisation that builds capabilities, transfers knowledge, and creates sustainable competitive advantages.

When Japan’s JETRO highlights Sri Lanka’s potential in graphite for lithium-ion batteries, the opportunity isn’t to create a billion-dollar mining conglomerate. It’s to build a cluster of specialised, technologically sophisticated businesses that compete on quality and sustainability, and to communicate that positioning effectively in international markets.

4. Transparent trade-offs

Every business decision involves trade-offs. Growing fast often means cutting corners. Maximising shareholder returns can mean squeezing workers or suppliers. Expanding market share might require practices that aren’t sustainable long-term.

What if communications professionals led conversations about these trade-offs honestly? What if, instead of spinning every decision as win-win, we acknowledged that building sustainable businesses means sometimes choosing stakeholders over shareholders, or choosing long-term resilience over short-term growth?

This kind of transparency would be radical and credibility-building in Sri Lanka’s current environment.

5. Redefining ‘Competitiveness’

When private credit grew 19.6pct in July, driven partly by vehicle imports, is that a sign of healthy economic activity or unsustainable consumption? When worker remittances rise 19.3pct and the current account surplus grows 30.2pct, is that economic strength or dependence on labor export?

Communications professionals should be helping stakeholders think critically about what ‘competitive’ actually means. A competitive economy isn’t necessarily one with the biggest companies. It’s one where businesses can operate efficiently, fairly, and sustainably across different scales and sectors.

From narrative deficit to narrative diversity

The real problem isn’t that Sri Lanka has only three billion-dollar companies. It’s that we have one dominant narrative about what business success looks like-and it’s imported, ill-fitting, and ultimately harmful.

We need narrative diversity to match the diverse economy we should be building. Stories about:

Family businesses that have sustained themselves across generations through prudent management, not aggressive expansion

Cooperatives that create value for members rather than distant shareholders

Social enterprises that balance profit with purpose

Tech startups that prioritise solving local problems over chasing venture capital valuations

Exporters that compete on quality and ethics, not just price

Manufacturers that invest in worker skills and environmental practices

These stories exist. They’re just not being told with the sophistication, consistency, and strategic intent they deserve.

The communicator›s challenge

For PR and communications professionals, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to resist the easy narrative of ‘bigger is better’ and instead craft more nuanced, evidence-based stories about sustainable value creation. The opportunity is to help reshape how success is defined and measured in Sri Lankan business.

This means advising clients and organisations to think beyond traditional metrics. It means pushing back when ‘growth at all costs’ is presented as the only strategy. It means making the case that in a resource-constrained, climate-vulnerable, socially diverse nation like Sri Lanka, resilience and sustainability aren’t optional extras. They’re core business imperatives.

Most importantly, it means recognising that in an era of heightened inequality, climate crisis, and social instability, the old narratives about corporate success are not just inadequate-they’re actively harmful. The world doesn’t need more billion-dollar companies built on exploitation and extraction. It needs businesses of all scales that create genuine value for multiple stakeholders over the long term.

Sri Lanka has an opportunity to communicate a different model, one that other small, vulnerable economies might actually want to learn from. But it requires communications professionals willing to challenge conventional wisdom, tell more complex stories, and ultimately, reimagine what success looks like.

The question isn’t whether we can create more billion-dollar companies. It’s whether we can create an economy where diverse businesses thrive, workers flourish, communities benefit, and the environment is respected, regardless of anyone’s market capitalisation.

That’s a narrative worth building. And it starts with communicators brave enough to tell it.

The author welcomes responses and debate on these ideas. Sri Lanka’s economic future depends not on mimicking other countries’ models of success, but on defining our own, and communicating it compellingly.