Sept 23, Colombo: Sri Lanka Tourism will continue to expand its bilateral and cultural ties with its Indian counterparts by venturing into a series of Road Shows in key Indian cities from 26th -30th September 2022.

The first road show will be held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on 26th September followed by heading to the St Regis Hotel in Mumbai on 28th September and closing with the Hyderabad Roadshow at Taj Krishna Hotel on 30th September 2022.

The main purpose of hosting these roadshows is to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourism destination across India, as it is one of Sri Lanka’s key source markets and has been extremely supportive in Sri Lanka regaining lost momentum both post pandemic and the recent economic downturn, Sri Lanka Tourism said.

Sri Lanka is witnessing a considerable increase in tourist arrivals with India leading the way and securing the number one position.

The event also focuses on promoting a myriad of tourism experiences while focusing on converting potential travelers to make booking and highlight the positive message that Sri Lanka is open for Leisure, Business and MICE tourism.

The target audience at these roadshows will be Tour operators, Media, Key influencers, Corporates and 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 Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Thisum Jayasuriya, Chairman/Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau. Many industry stakeholders have supported this endeavor including SriLankan Airlines and MasterCard.

Each roadshow will include B2B Sessions facilitating numerous discussions followed by an Evening Networking event which 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 & entertainment will be included at each event, to give the audience an amazing experience and also a glimpse of the Sri Lankan culture. The dancing troupe will showcase their talent along with Yohani’s musical performances.

During the Road shows, Minister of Tourism is expected to meet several high profiled Business leaders, Tourism Stake Holders and Corporates while engaging in several media interviews with leading Indian media houses.

India has generated over 80,000 tourist arrivals to the country so far 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.