The Ministry of Tourism, Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has hosted 24 media houses from India, including the mainstream dailies, Television Channels, Travel magazines, online travel portals, and bloggers. The group was invited to be part of the historic annual convention of the Travel Agents Association of India, India’s premier travel trade organization, along with discovering and participating in all of the Island nation’s beautiful tourist attractions. Sri Lanka Tourism hosted the 67th annual convention of the TAAI from July 6-9, 2023 in Colombo. Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka himself attended and inaugurated the historic Convention of TAAI at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, Srilanka, highlighting the importance of the Indian outbound market for the survival of tourism in Sri Lanka.
The 4 days media familiarisation program from July 9th to 12th witnessed good participation by 20 plus leading media houses from Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh. Senior Editors from United News of India, Nava Bharath Times, Tourism India, TTJ, Heavenly India, and Voice of Chandigarh explored the various destinations and pilgrim sites in Sri Lanka.
The media group has been divided into two groups and the first group has covered the Eastern and North Eastern provinces, while the second group has visited the Central and Southern provinces of the Island nation. The first group visited Colombo, Habarana, Minneriya Elephant Sanctuary, Holistic Koneswaram Hindu Temple and Sakthi Peetam and Sri Shankari Devi Shakti Peetam in Trincomalee, Sigiriya and Negombo. The second group has explored various destinations including Colombo, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Peradeniya Botanical Garden in Kandy, Sri Bhakta Hanuman Temple, Sita Amman temple, Nuwara Eliya ( popularly known as Little England), and Negombo. Mr. Masitha De Thabrew, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka, escorted the first group while Mr. Jude Marsalin travelled with the second group.
Commenting on the FAM, Hon. Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism, Sri Lanka said, “Sri Lanka is experiencing a significant rise in tourist arrivals, particularly from India, which has now secured the top spot. In the first three months of 2023, we welcomed 46,432 Indian tourists. With an ambitious promotional campaign underway, we are aiming to attract 2 million worldwide tourists this year. This increase in visitors has had a positive impact on tourism earnings, with Sri Lanka earning around 530 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2023, compared to $482.3 million in the same period last year. We expect to generate a total of $3 billion in tourism revenue this year.”
Mr. Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said, “We are thrilled to host the prominent media professionals from India and showcase all that destination Sri Lanka has to offer. This trip is an excellent opportunity for both, the mainstream and travel trade media editors to experience the attractions on the island and understand firsthand, the potential that Sri Lanka can offer to Indian travellers.”
He also added that “Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for families and is suitable for travel throughout the year. The country is currently engaging with the travel industry in India to reinforce its position as a preferred travel destination. Through our representatives and stakeholders from hotels, resorts, destination management companies, and event management companies, we aim to build a strong relationship with our travel-trade partners in India and foster a mutually beneficial association”.
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