Southern Province
Southern Province hosts Galle's Dutch fort and 8.9% of GDP—Hambantota's Chinese-built port symbolizes controversial debt diplomacy.
Southern Province anchors Sri Lanka's coastal tourism economy, with Galle's UNESCO-listed Dutch colonial fort, Hikkaduwa's beaches, and Mirissa's whale watching drawing international visitors. The province contributes 8.9% of national GDP (2024) and 11.8% of agricultural output, combining tourism with tea, rubber, and cinnamon cultivation. Galle Fort—built by Portuguese, expanded by Dutch, inherited by British—exemplifies colonial layering that creates contemporary heritage tourism. The 2004 tsunami devastated coastal communities, but reconstruction transformed infrastructure and tourism facilities. Hambantota, the hometown of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, hosts Chinese-built port and airport infrastructure that became symbols of controversial debt diplomacy after Sri Lanka ceded port control to China. By 2026, Southern Province's tourism trajectory faces competition from coastal resorts elsewhere while Chinese infrastructure creates strategic implications.