Gem City Ratnapura 2025 opened on 15 August at the Grand Silveray Hotel in Pelmadulla, positioned as Sri Lanka's international gem and jewellery exhibition for foreign buyers who want to source in the gem district rather than only in Colombo.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told the opening ceremony that Sri Lanka enjoys global recognition for gems but has not maximized export income, citing inconsistent policies as a brake on growth. The government pledged stable rules to capture international market share.
Minister of Industry Sunil Handunnetti outlined parallel policy work: developing the diamond sector and preparing laws for controlled rough export. The event also launched gemcityratnapura.com with GOV PAY integration, the first government-owned gem and jewellery trade website.
Delegations from the United States, India, China, Switzerland, Thailand, and Pakistan attended. For working dealers, the exhibition is a concentration of supply and social proof that Sri Lanka still wants hub status. For tourists, it is visibility. For the billion-dollar target, it is marketing unless backed by import tax reform and formal export rails.