In September, the government tourism agency in Sri Lanka endorsed a proposal by an LGBTQ+ advocacy group to promote the island nation as an inclusive destination.

The country has been racked by economic turmoil since 2019, with exploding foreign debt, massive budget deficits, and major food shortages. The prime minister declared the collapse of Sri Lanka’s economy in 2022, and protests included demonstrators burning down the prime minister’s official residence.

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In 2024, a left-leaning candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was elected president. Since then, the hunt for additional revenue has been on.

Last fall, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority agreed with LGBTQ+ group EQUAL GRAND that promoting Sri Lanka as a “safe and welcoming” destination could bring in much needed foreign currency to the debt-ridden nation.

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The country’s religious leaders, however, weren’t sold; announcement of the plan earned their immediate condemnation.

Last week, the LGBTQ+ outreach campaign was officially withdrawn.

“Since this letter is withdrawn, you can infer that the government doesn’t want Sri Lanka [to be] a holiday destination for LGBT travelers,” a senior government official told The Telegraph.

The plan was assailed by leaders across the religious spectrum in Sri Lanka, including senior Buddhist monks and the head of the Catholic Church, who accused the government of promoting “new and unacceptable cultural practices.”

The pro-life group Cultura Vitae accused the government of promoting a “sodomite life.”

“It is yet another attempt to normalize deviance and drive national business and enterprise towards sin and insanity catering,” a group leader said.

In a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, four Buddhist priests described the plan as an unethical promotion of homosexuality that goes against Sri Lankan and Buddhist cultural norms.

Sri Lanka, just south of the narrow Palk Straight from India, is known as a popular and friendly destination for tourists, particularly from Europe, but it ranks low in the ratings of South Asian countries when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights.

While there is no official censorship of LGBTQ+ identity in Sri Lanka, homosexuality is officially illegal, with violations earning up to 10 years in prison. The country has no anti-discrimination protections for housing and employment, and offers only minimal protections for privacy.

The new government, however, has been open to decriminalization of homosexuality, a change that was welcomed by the UN human rights chief last year. EQUAL GRAND’s proposal for decriminalization followed that opening.

A recent poll of Sri Lankans found 12% of respondents aged 18-65 called themselves lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex.

Following confirmation of the withdrawal of the LGBTQ+ tourism initiative, Sri Lanka’s Attorney General, Parinda Ranasinghe, told the Telegraph, “People in Sri Lanka are still uncomfortable speaking on this topic. It’s a cultural issue. It’s not Europe, it is still Asia.”

Nuwan Mellawa, an LGBTQ+ rights campaigner in Sri Lanka, responded, “No faith teaches cruelty.”

“Leaders should protect, not endanger, vulnerable communities,” Mellawa added.

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