Sri Lanka to hold road shows in Indian to woo more Indian tourists.
The Morning: Sri Lanka Tourism is to host roadshows to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourism destination across India expanding its bilateral and cultural ties with its Indian counterparts by venturing into a series of roadshows in key Indian cities from 26-30 September 2022.
Accordingly, the first roadshow is to be held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on 26 September, followed by another at the St. Regis Hotel in Mumbai on 28 September, and closing with the Hyderabad Roadshow at Taj Krishna Hotel on 30 September 2022.
The event also focuses on promoting a myriad of tourism experiences, while aiming to convert potential travellers to make booking and highlight the positive message that Sri Lanka is open for leisure, business, and MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Conventions, and Exhibitions) tourism. The target audience at these roadshows will be tour operators, media, key influencers, corporates, trade associations, and key tourism industry stakeholders in India, who have the ability to take the message that Sri Lanka is not only one of the most beautiful countries, but is also safe and secure, adhering to all the necessary health and safety guidelines.
A delegation of over 50 local travel agencies and hotels will be participating at this event, with the delegation being led by the Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando, accompanied by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu and Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau Chairman Thisum Jayasuriya. Many industry stakeholders have supported this endeavour, including Srilankan Airlines and Mastercard.
Each roadshow will include B2B sessions facilitating numerous discussions, followed by an evening networking event that will also help to improve business partnerships.
A touch of glamour will be added to these events with the participation of celebrities such as Sanath Jayasuriya and Yohani De Silva, where dance and entertainment will be included at each event to give the audience an amazing experience and also a glimpse of Sri Lankan culture. The dancing troupe will be sponsored by Mastercard, and will showcase their talent along with Yohani’s musical performances.
During the roadshows, the Minister of Tourism is expected to meet several high-profile business leaders, tourism stakeholders, and corporates, while engaging in several media interviews with Indian media houses.
India has generated over 80,000 tourist arrivals to the country so far, leading the way and securing the number-one position, and it is expected to double these numbers by 2023. Thus, these roadshows will add more value to create a positive mindset regarding Sri Lanka and its diversity of attractions, cultural value, and travel opportunities, enabling Indian tourist arrivals to the destination.
OSL take:
India has been key tourist source market for Sri Lanka in the past few years and with Sri Lanka’s tourism industry gradually returning to normalcy after facing the global pandemic, local authorities are once again focused on promoting thr country’s tourism industry. Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities have been carrying out promotional campaigns in key tourist source markets while exploring new tourism concepts. Sri Lanka has already started the Ramayana Trail and the latest Murugan Trail aimed at wooing Indian tourists and it is in such a backdrop that the tourism authorities have launched a road show in India. Sri Lanka has also received much exposure in the international media as a must visit tourist destination while several global travel publications have listed Sri Lanka among the top island destinations. The growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues to expand, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors. Many international leisure and hospitality brands have expressed interest in entering Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Given the expanding opportunities, foreign businesses/investors could explore lucrative opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/29092022/X_1 |