Global trade is entering a period of turmoil that is likely to be more acute and more challenging than during the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago. Smaller economies like Sri Lanka that depend on international markets and who have benefited from a relatively predictable international trading system, will be worst affected. In this context, CSF's latest Policy Note outlines 8 key trade and competitiveness reforms and strategic initiatives that Sri Lanka must now prioritize, to build resilience and success.

Sri Lanka will be hosting unprecedented numbers of tourists in the shortterm. National parks are a key tourist attraction, hosting rapidly increasing visitors since 2009. A new report by CSF, titled 'Getting the Price Right: Rationalizing Park Entry Fees and the Case of Yala National Park', makes the case for why we should take a closer look at how national park entry fees must be determined and revised. Through a review of the theory and practice of national park entry fee pricing, along with a historical analysis of Sri Lankan national park entry fee revisions, the report presents four policy considerations.

As Sri Lanka's new government looks to revise the country’s investment framework, understanding current global trends and best practices will be crucial. Anchored to global investment policy trends identified by the UNCTAD in a recent report, this Policy Brief presents seven observations stemming from a comparison of these global trends against the investment-related provisions of the Economic Transformation Act (ETA) passed in 2024.

Short-term and unsustainable plans for a tourism recovery, with narrow views on destination identity, can threaten the natural assets that Sri Lanka's tourism is branded on. On World Tourism Day 2024, we argue that its time for Sri Lanka to re-define tourism destination identities through an inclusive and imaginative approach. With examples from Kalpitiya and Yala, based on ongoing research, this article suggests the need to 'co-discover' destination identities with local stakeholders.

CSF Research Associate Senith Abeyanayake reflects on a recent engagement with tourism industry leaders for a panel on charting a nature-positive economic recovery for Sri Lanka's tourism. This is part of CSF's 'Perspectives Series' of articles.