Sri Lanka had the unprecedented distinction of being the “Guest of Honor” at the Gala Diplomatic Garden Party organized by the prestigious “Diplomatique” journal in celebration of the French National Day on July 14th. The event was sponsored by several top-tier French transnational corporations and held at the majestic Pavilion Dauphine in Paris. The afternoon event that followed the traditional French military parade was graced by over one thousand eminent invitees. On this truly historic occasion, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in France captivated the attention and imagination of this unusually large gathering of dignitaries with a visual and choreographic presentation of “Sri Lanka - the Wonder of Asia,” which highlighted the rich ambience of Sri Lanka’s culture, heritage, cuisine, reconciliation and development.
In keeping with the vision of President Rajapaksa’s, “Mahinda Chintana” policy framework, the Sri Lanka Pavilion highlighted the social and economic achievements of post-conflict Sri Lanka. The Pavilion introduced an iconic image of Sri Lanka to the French and international visitors.
The welcome addresses were delivered by Mr Didier Vidal, Director of the prestigious Diplomatique Journal and Professor Karunaratne Hangawatte, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to France and UNESCO.
Ambassador Hangawatte, in his speech introduced different facets of Sri Lanka. He stated that Sri Lankans have lived for generations in harmony and unison in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society and its recorded history spanning nearly 3000 years is untainted by religious wars. The Ambassador pointed out that the current scale of development currently in the country is unprecedented in the history of the island. He mentioned that according to the World Bank, “Sri Lanka enjoys robust economic growth, well above its regional peers,” and “economic prosperity is broadly shared.” He further said that France’s COFACE, a worldwide leader in credit insurance identifies Sri Lanka among five “emerging” countries that have a sound business climate and strong growth potential.
Quite fittingly for the occasion Ambassador Hangawatte declared open the Sri Lanka Pavilion by announcing, “Come visit Sri Lanka, the “Wonder of Asia” and be greeted with 20 million smiles!”
While pointing out that Sri Lanka is a must visit tourist destination, Ambassador Hangawatte stated that “Sri Lanka has been, and continues to thrive in cultural diversity, innovative technical marvels, breathtaking sites of natural beauty and delectable culinary delights.
The French generally look for quality accommodation, food, excursions and other holiday-related experiences. As such, per-trip spending among French tourists tends to be high. The Sri Lanka event highlighted what the French traveller expects to the fullest, with Mount Lavinia Hotel and Cinnamon Hotels showcasing the best of Sri Lankan hospitality and luxury.
At the Pavilion, an investment promotion event was conducted under the theme, “Investment Opportunities in the Emerging Economy of Sri Lanka. As French companies invest abroad more than in the domestic market, this event will undoubtedly serve as an effective avenue to attract French investments to Sri Lanka.
The guests were served with a mouth-watering Sri Lankan cuisine, prepared by the Mount Lavinia Hotel’s master chef, Publis. Dilmah ,Siddalepa and Gyuapi Lanka showcased Sri Lanka's targeted export items to France. Many guests started networking and developing important links which would certainly advance tourism, trade and investment sectors of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Pavilion was colourfully decorated to promote Sri Lanka as a key tourist destination in Asia, simultaneously focusing on her strengths in trade, commerce and investment. The Board of Investment, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce linked with the Embassy in this unprecedented promotion of different facets of Sri Lanka to a rare gathering of over one thousand eminent personality representing different sectors of interest.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Paris
28th July 2014
