PickMe launched Colombo Connect at the Lotus Tower, the first city-wide destination to go live under PickMe Explore, the technology firm’s newly rebranded national ecosystem for attractions, events and experiences. The platform, previously PickMe Events, its digital event discovery and ticketing platform, now links the capital’s scattered attractions, restaurants, culture and mobility into a single digital route for residents and visitors alike, starting with the country’s tallest structure. PickMe is the technology firm with operations spanning transport, food, groceries, parcel delivery, and logistics. Each expansion was built on the trust and reach of the one before it, and PickMe Explore was built atop that foundation.
The launch drew Hanif Yusoof, President’s Special Envoy on Foreign Investments, as chief guest, alongside Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Secretary at the Ministry of Digital Economy, Shirantha Peries, Chairman at the Colombo Lotus Tower, and travel writer, photojournalist and author Juliet Coombe. “Colombo already has everything it needs to become one of South Asia’s most exciting urban destinations,” said Jiffry Zulfer, Chief Executive Officer at PickMe, at the launch. “What has been missing is a platform that brings those experiences together. Today, attractions promote themselves.
Restaurants promote themselves. Museums, events and entertainment venues all operate independently. Colombo Connect changes that by helping present the city as one connected destination, where every discovery leads to another.”
Colombo Lotus Tower becomes PickMe Explore’s first partner destination. Visitors can now buy tickets through the app and enter using a QR code, with the Observation Deck and Pixel Bloom, an immersive digital art museum, live from day one. A visitor can now book a ride to the tower, buy an Observation Deck ticket, and walk through Pixel Bloom without leaving the app and without joining a queue at the counter. Through PickMe Explore, users will be able to discover curated experiences, purchase attraction tickets, access exclusive offers, and explore destinations through one seamless platform.
At its core, Colombo Connect is built on a straightforward premise: the capital doesn’t lack things to do; it lacks a reason for people to stay and find them. SLTDA data shows Colombo draws more visitors than any other district in the country, by a wide margin, largely because it is the main port of entry. Colombo has also recorded the highest hotel occupancy rate of any region in SLTDA’s regional breakdown, evidence that traffic through the capital is heavy even when the average stay is not. However, many travellers move on quickly to the beaches of the south coast, wildlife destinations, or the tea country of the hills.
PickMe expects Colombo Connect to unlock more than Rs30 billion a year in economic activity and transactions across transport, ticketing, hospitality, retail and entertainment, as the platform evolves. Sri Lanka’s tourism authority backs the underlying premise. Indian visitors, the country’s largest source market, now spend more per day than the average international tourist, at $154 to $157 against a $148 national average, according to the SLTDA. Yet they stay only five to six nights.
“If visitors spend even one additional day discovering Colombo, the impact extends far beyond tourism,” Zulfer said. “Every extra stop supports another restaurant, attraction, retailer, hotel, transport provider or entrepreneur. That is how connected cities create shared economic growth.” Today, people’s first interaction with a city is increasingly through their smartphone. They discover places, book experiences, make payments and navigate their journeys digitally. Colombo Connect has been designed around that reality. “Cities increasingly compete through experiences,” Zulfer added. “People no longer discover cities through brochures. They discover them through digital platforms. By connecting mobility, attractions, entertainment, retail and culture through one ecosystem, we can create a richer experience for visitors while helping more businesses benefit from the city’s growth.”
The rebrand from PickMe Events to PickMe Explore signals where the company wants this to go next. Future phases of Colombo Connect will expand to include museums, cultural institutions, entertainment venues, event organisers, restaurants, nightlife operators, retailers and other tourism partners, creating an increasingly connected urban ecosystem where users can discover experiences, access promotions, purchase tickets, arrange transport and navigate the city through one trusted platform. PickMe plans to extend the same model to other Sri Lankan cities as the ecosystem grows.
“For more than a decade, PickMe has connected people with transport, merchants and digital services,” Zulfer said. “Our next journey is about connecting people with experiences. Colombo Connect is where that journey begins, and through PickMe Explore we hope to build a platform that eventually helps people discover the very best of Sri Lanka.”