Tourism boost in North-East with new acquisitions & management agreements

Fairway Leisure Sector is gearing up for a major expansion, targeting a portfolio of at least 500 room keys by the end of the current financial year. Under its travel and hospitality arm, Fairway Travel, the group is aggressively building out a nationwide network designed to support seamless round-tours and capture growing tourism flows.

Chief Executive Officer Leisure Sector Basheer Cader, who brings over two decades of hospitality expertise to the role outlined the group’s vision to bridge key tourist circuits across the island by combining strategic property acquisitions with asset-light management agreements.

Cader told a press briefing held on Friday that a core component of Fairway’s roadmap centers on the Northern Province. By leveraging the increase in regional flight operations, which now see four to five flights landing daily in Jaffna, the group plans to establish a cluster of three properties in the region. This setup will allow short-haul and round-tour visitors landing in Jaffna to conveniently explore northern destinations.

Beyond the north, Fairway is finalizing acquisitions and management deals across critical tourism hubs and is preparing to acquire a distressed hotel property out of bank receivership for approximately Rs 250 million in Dambulla and take over management of Trincomalee Beach Resort & Spa, a resort owned by a Canadian-based Sri Lankan investor in Trincomalee. The property will undergo an Rs 60 million refurbishment to upgrade rooms, air conditioning, and amenities to four-star standards. The resort also boasts a 1,200-seat marquee targeted directly at the destination wedding market. Cader said deals are nearing completion for properties in Kandy, Ella and Sorowwa in Dambulla.

The expansion builds upon Fairway’s core urban and regional portfolio. The flagship Fairway Colombo in Fort features 181 rooms and consistently maintains an average occupancy rate of 85%. The property relies on a diverse guest mix comprising seafarers on extended stays, regional visitors from India, online travel agencies (OTAs), and walk-in day-room users. To streamline operations, the hotel utilizes automated delivery robots to serve room-service orders from tenant-operated dining outlets. In Nuwara Eliya, the brand manages Planters Legacy, three luxury bungalows overlooking Lake Gregory alongside a caravan park featuring 10 static caravans and a motorhome. Meanwhile, in Galle, the group operates 15 serviced units at Fairway Sunset under a hybrid residential and bed-and-breakfast model. To complement its lodging footprint, Fairway is rolling out distinct dining and nightlife venues in Colombo’s historic Fort City. By December, the group plans to convert a Chatham Street car park into a high-end restaurant serving Moroccan cuisine and premium cocktails in partnership with a Dubai-based investor. Additionally plans are underway to launch “The Laundry,” a speakeasy bar featuring a discreet, password-protected entrance behind a laundry facade.

Source: Daily News