The Sri Lanka Pavilion at the Vakantiebeurs Fair – 2017 is proving to be a major attraction for the large number of visitors attending this Travel and Tourism Fair in the City of Utrecht The Netherlands. With over 120,000 visitors, the Vakantiebeurs has acquired international recognition as the single most important tourism event in The Netherlands since the 1970s. No other Travel and Tourism event in Europe attracts as many consumers as the Vakantiebeurs.
The Sri Lanka Pavilion was ceremonially inaugurated by the Mayor of Utrecht, Hon. Jan van Zanen and the Ambassador of Sri Lanka Mr. A.M.J. Sadiq on the opening day of the Fair, Tuesday, 10th January 2017, with the distinguished participation of the Ambassadors of Bangladesh, Canada, Iran and Iraq in The Netherlands.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Sadiq highlighted the significance of the Netherlands, rapidly gaining importance as a growing source of tourist arrivals for Sri Lanka. He pointed out that while foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka crossed the 2 million market in 2016, The Netherlands continued to post double digit growth over the last 2 years. 41,373 Dutch tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2016, a robust 26.4% increase over the figure of 32,742 recorded in the previous year, 2015. He urged the 11 Sri Lankan tour operators attending the Fair to seize the opportunity afforded by their participation to promote Sri Lanka among the outward bound Dutch tour operators and the Dutch public visiting the Fair.
Sri Lanka has been attending the Vakantiebeurs Fair for over a decade and it is expected that the 2017 edition would prove to be an even greater success than in previous years, with the participating tour operators being able to establish new contacts with their potential Dutch counterparts and reinforce business partnerships with existing clients.
The Fair will continue until Sunday, 15th January, with the first two days being reserved for tourism and travel related companies and professionals, while the other days are open to the general public.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
The Hague
12th January 2017
