Aussie travel industry gathers for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka as a destination reached new heights among the Australian travel industry with the second event of the Sri Lanka Tourism Roadshows for 2017.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) held the Melbourne leg of its week-long series of promotions in Australia yesterday (23 November 2017).

The nation is famous for having one of the highest expenditures on travel per capita globally and is only just beginning to realise the potential of Sri Lanka as a tourism hotspot.

This brings with it tremendous opportunity for Sri Lanka’s tourism economy.

The event attracted more than 150 members from the travel industry, including representatives from Australian travel agents and wholesalers who met with Sri Lankan hoteliers, tour operators and tourism officials for a series of B2B meetings.

A positive response has been forthcoming with key Sri Lankan travel professionals such as Pledge Holidays’ managing director Eashan Pathirana heralding its success.

“This roadshow has been very productive.” He said.

Pathirana continued, “We can see the new people we have touched. They have done a good awareness program. At last year’s roadshows it was mid-market trade, this year it is top to bottom agents.”

These sentiments have been echoed by Golden Isle’s Managing Director, Paddy Paul who said, “We are targeting high end agents for tours and FIT.

“There is a market here in Australia. I was here last year and Sri Lanka has been marketed quite well. There is potential.”

The event, held at the auspicious Hotel Windsor in Melbourne’s central business district, attracted a range of Australia’s major travel companies and attendees were treated to sumptuous Sri Lankan cuisine, enjoyed keynote presentations on the destination from SLTPB’s marketing director, Madubhani Perera and competed in a raffle to win flights and familiarization trips to Sri Lanka.

The Australian travel community flocked to the event in large numbers as interest from consumers continues to grow with one eminent travel agent, Joanna Koffman from Helloworld Toorak commenting, “I just got my first booking for Sri Lanka in January 2018. That’s why I’m here tonight, to ascertain the level of product.”

The roadshows continue into next week with the biggest travel trade event, to be held in Sydney on Monday 27 November.

Check out all the photos below:

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