In an effort to revive and stimulate the promotional activities in the fastest-growing Indian outbound travel market, the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi, jointly with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines launched a mega promotional event in Delhi on 25 June, at the Le Meridian Hotel in New Delhi, to announce the special promotional tour package ‘Splendours of Sri Lanka’ for Indian travellers.
This promotional event comprised two components i.e. a press conference followed by an interactive session with robust participation of the Indian travel industry. The interactive session was attended by over 200 participants representing the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), leading Online Travel Portals, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines.
The Sri Lanka delegation to the promotional event in New Delhi was headed by Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Religious Affairs John Amaratunga accompanied by Advisor to the Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Religious Affairs, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and members of the Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators Association.
The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Austin Fernando in his welcome remarks highlighted the importance of the Indian Outbound Travel industry to Sri Lanka, and the tremendous potential to further increase travellers from India to Sri Lanka. High Commissioner urged the travel industry of the two countries for further collaboration to continue supporting the economy of Sri Lanka. Delivering the Keynote Address at the press conference and at the interactive session with the Indian Travel industry, Minister Amaratunga stated: “Sri Lanka is as safe for tourists as it was before April terror attack. India accounts for almost 20% of tourists coming to Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Tourism would like to take it further.”
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Kishu Gomes thanked the Indian Travel Industry for all the support extended to receive 424,887 travellers from India and requested continued support to achieve the set target for 2019.
According to statistics, India is Sri Lanka’s largest tourism market and accounted for 18.2% or 424,887 arrivals in 2018, up 10.5% from a year earlier while in 2017, Sri Lanka received 3,83,000 visitors from India. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020 and it is expected to be driven by the middle-income households.
The special promotion that was introduced to the Indian travellers included five packages with a combination of stays ranging from Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Dambulla, Sigiriya, down south, etc. which enabled the client to select standard, superior or deluxe accommodation to suit their budget. The offer will be valid for stays from 10 June until 30 September.
