Chandra Wickramasinghe marks a golden milestone
View(s):Veteran hotelier Chandra Wickramasinghe recently celebrated 50 years of ‘remarkable’ contribution to Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
Born on 5th June 1953 in Kurunegala and educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala, Chandra’s story is one of vision, courage, and enduring passion for hospitality.
Mr. Chandra Wickramasinghe
His early journey into tourism began in 1975, when he started following a Diploma in Tourism from the Sri Lanka Technical College, Colombo 10, while also studying French at the Alliance Française de Colombo.
In 1982, Chandra and his partners took the bold step of founding a specialised travel agency, Connaissance De Ceylan, which quickly grew into a pioneering force in inbound tourism. His entrepreneurial vision expanded further in 1994 when he built his first hotel, the Culture Club Resort in Kandalama. It was the first hotel ever to be constructed on the banks of the Kandalama Lake, and at the time, building in such a pristine environment was a bold step, one that set the tone for eco-conscious hospitality in the region. This marked the beginning of a career defined by bold “firsts” in Sri Lanka’s tourism landscape. Two years later, in 1996, he opened Le Kandyan Hotel in Kandy, continuing his commitment to regional hospitality development.
Over the decades, Chandra introduced several landmark projects that broke new ground in the industry. In 2011, he created Maalu Maalu Passikudah, the first hotel to be built on Sri Lanka’s East Coast after the end of the three-decade civil war, symbolising both renewal and hope for the region.
In 2019, when the tourism industry was reeling from the Easter Sunday attacks, Chandra was the only hotelier to complete and launch a project in the aftermath, the Tea & Experience Factory at Mandaram Nuwara, standing as a testament to resilience in the face of adversity.
Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when global tourism had ground to a halt, Chandra defied the odds by completing and opening Wild Glamping Gal Oya—the only hotel project in Sri Lanka to be launched during that unprecedented time.
Most recently, in 2025, he unveiled Amba Yaalu in Kandalama, Sri Lanka’s first and only hotel to be 100 per cent female-led and operated, a pioneering concept that is believed to be unique in the world.
His portfolio grew under the Theme Resorts & Spas brand (now known as Thema Collection), established in 2014, uniting some of Sri Lanka’s most distinctive properties including Aliya Resort & Spa in Sigiriya, Mountbatten Bungalow in Kandy, Kithala Resort in Tissamaharama, Scottish Planter Bungalow in Nuwara Eliya, Ayurvie Weligama, Wild Glamping Knuckles, Parangi Weligama Bay, Vis Ta Vie Mirissa, Waraka Udawalawa and many more. Each project carried his hallmark of blending authentic Sri Lankan culture with innovative hospitality concepts, he said in a media release on his celebratory journey.
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