Hon. John Amarathunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Affairs inaugurated the India International Travel and Tourism (IITT) Exhibition 2019 in Mumbai. Hon. Minister was the Chief Guest at the opening Ceremony of the 3-day exhibition which is a leading travel, tourism and hospitality exhibition in India that covers all aspects of tourism.
Addressing the inauguration, Minister Amarathunga said that India is a very important tourism market for Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau(SLTPB) has taken a range of marketing initiatives to promote Sri Lanka as a complete holiday destination for Indian tourists.
Hon. Minister ceremonially opened the Sri Lankan Stall at IITT that was a main center of attraction at the exhibition. Traditional Sri Lankan dancing /drumming performances at the Sri Lanka stall during the exhibition were enjoyed by many visitors.
The Sri Lanka Consulate organized an interactive meeting between leading Wedding Planners & Travel Media in Mumbai with the Hon. Minister of Tourism and the Officials on the sidelines of the IITT. The initiative was targeted to attract wedding planners in Mumbai with the aim to promote Sri Lanka as a perfect wedding destination for lavish Indian weddings. The Minister announced the new plans for promoting Sri Lanka as the next hot spot in Indian market for weddings and called for their support.
Sri Lanka Consulate in Mumbai together with SLTPB will organize a tour for leading wedding planners and travel media to Sri Lanka in June 2019 to showcase the locations and facilities available for weddings and MICE tourism following the discussions with Wedding Planners.
Meetings were also arranged with the key players of travel and tourism industry in Mumbai including Cox & Kings and Thomas Cook. The Minister also held a meeting with Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI). This resulted in the scheduling of their next convention in Colombo in June 2019.
IITT 2019 had over 500 exhibitors from more than 25 countries showcasing their products and services from 10 to 13 January 2019.
