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Pineapple Press is an independent publication covering the people, places, culture, food, travel, design and ideas shaping Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka makes clothes for some of the biggest names in global fashion. But how much of the creative power stays here?

Designer Amesh Wijesekera believes Sri Lanka’s extraordinary manufacturing and craft skills could be the foundation for something bigger: ideas, design and creative identity originating here, rather than simply being produced here.

Since launching AMESH in 2019, he has taken Sri Lankan textiles and craftsmanship onto international stages - while questioning why the people who make our clothes are so often treated simply as labour.

We speak to Wijesekera about artisans, fashion waste, finding inspiration in Sri Lanka and what it might look like if more of the world’s fashion began with a Sri Lankan idea.

Read the full story at Pineapple Press. by @pineapplepressnews

From Italian fine dining and Sri Lankan curries to sunset cocktails and late-night jazz, here's where to eat and drink in Galle Fort.

Galle Fort may be small enough to walk around in 1 hour, but deciding where to eat can take considerably longer.

Behind its centuries-old walls, colonial merchant houses have been transformed into restaurants, cafés and cocktail bars serving everything from traditional Sri Lankan curries to handmade Italian pasta.

Whether you're visiting for the day or staying for the weekend, here are our favourite places, and exactly when to go.

For the full story head to the link in bio.

In partnership with @aqua.pizza by @pineapplepressnews

Tourists only? In Sri Lanka? This is happening more than you think. Full story at link in bio.

Photo @jessicahaya by @pineapplepressnews

The first distinctly Sri Lankan experience when you arrive is the street life.

Tuk tuks buzz past like oversized bumblebees.

Motorbikes carrying three, sometimes four riders slide through gaps that by rights shouldn't exist, with an ease that looks less like risk than choreography.

Somewhere a tractor rattles along hauling the morning's harvest, entirely indifferent to its own top speed of perhaps 20 kilometres an hour. It is, by any measure, a slow country in motion - warm, patient, unbothered.

And then, without warning, the road tilts. by @pineapplepressnews

Architecture alone is reason enough to visit Sri Lanka.

But one feature we think deserves far more attention is hidden behind the façades of Galle Fort: the interior courtyard.

Known as the meda midula, these open-air rooms brought light and ventilation into the Fort’s houses, while also serving as practical spaces for drying grain, weaving Beeralu lace, preparing spices and everyday domestic life.

Many have disappeared. Some survive in the Fort’s hotels, cafés, galleries and shops.

We found eight worth seeking out.

Save this for your next walk through Galle Fort.

Read the full story on Pineapple Press. by @pineapplepressnews

It is easy to think you know Galle Fort.

There is the lighthouse, the evening walk along the ramparts, the Dutch houses, jewellery shops and cafés. It is beautiful, certainly. But beauty is arguably the least interesting thing about it.

What makes Galle Fort extraordinary is the amount of history compressed into such a small piece of land. Long before there was a fort here, ships were arriving from across the Indian Ocean. Then later came the Portuguese, Dutch and British, each leaving another layer behind.

For this guide, Pineapple Press asked @thecharlestongallefort , a restored 1920s residence within the Fort, to help curate 10 details that reveal just how extraordinary Galle really is.

Here are the stories worth knowing the next time you walk through the gates.

For the full story head to the link in bio.

In partnership with @thecharlestongallefort by @pineapplepressnews

Udayshanth Fernando is one of Sri Lanka’s most influential figures in design, art and hospitality.

Since founding Paradise Road in 1987, he has helped redefine contemporary Sri Lankan aesthetics through his distinctive approach to interiors, retail and hospitality.

The creative force behind The Gallery Café and Tintagel Colombo, he is also a prominent collector and champion of Sri Lankan contemporary art.

His work and remarkable career are celebrated in Udayshanth Fernando: Living Design, published by Rizzoli in 2026. by @pineapplepressnews

Sri Lanka has a climate defence hiding in plain sight.

Mangroves protect coastlines from erosion and extreme weather, provide breeding grounds for fish and store extraordinary amounts of carbon.

But one of the most interesting parts of Sri Lanka’s mangrove conservation story is the role played by the communities living alongside them.
Since 2015, Seacology and its Sri Lankan partner Sudeesa have worked with thousands of women near mangrove forests, supporting alternative livelihoods while communities helped protect the ecosystems around them.

The approach has since expanded to include government agencies, the Sri Lankan Navy, local communities and a new generation of young conservationists.

We spoke with Karen Peterson of Seacology about why these forests matter - and what Sri Lanka has learned about protecting them.

Read the full story at Pineapple Press.

#SriLanka #MangroveConservation #SriLankaEnvironment #CoastalConservation #Seacology by @pineapplepressnews

Travellers and owners increasingly want professional management, reliable standards and the reassurance of knowing what they are going to get. But too much standardisation risks stripping away the very qualities that make a Sri Lankan holiday home distinctive in the first place.

In our latest story, we look at the rise of branded residences, the business of certainty, and why the strongest developments may be the ones that combine hotel-level systems with a genuine sense of place.

Read the full story at Pineapple Press. by @pineapplepressnews

What kind of luxury traveller should Sri Lanka be trying to attract?

For Miguel Cunat, Senior Partner at Sustainable Sri Lanka, the answer is not simply the person willing to spend the most. It is the traveller willing to spend on what makes Sri Lanka distinctly Sri Lankan - its wildlife, food, architecture, landscapes, people and extraordinary variety.

We spoke to him about why Sri Lanka’s high-value tourism strategy should focus less on imitating established luxury destinations, and more on becoming a better, more confident version of itself.

Read the full story at Pineapple Press. by @pineapplepressnews

Ahangama is getting ready for South Coast season, and Negombo Surf Co. is calling on the community to lend a hand.

This isn't another beach clean-up. It's about looking after the town itself, from clearing rubbish and weeds to tackling blocked gutters and neglected public spaces.

📍 Meet at Negombo Surf Co., Ahangama
📅 Thursday, October 15
⏰ 4pm

Equipment will be provided, but bring gloves, shovels or bin bags if you have them.

With support from Your Dose of Island, Boogie Ahangama, Secrets of the Sun and Lotus Surf Camp.

Live here, work here or simply love Ahangama? Come along and get involved.
Full details at Pineapple Press. by @pineapplepressnews

The best travellers aren't the ones who saw everything. They're the ones who truly connected with the places they visited.

As tourism continues to grow across Sri Lanka, the choices each visitor makes matter more than ever. Better tourism isn't just about eating a hopper or learning to say ayubowan. It's about travelling in a way that contributes to the places you visit rather than simply extracting from them. Fortunately, these simple tips can make a surprisingly big difference.

Photo by @jessicahayha by @pineapplepressnews