The “Sri Lanka Tourism Road Show”, was held in Milan, Italy on 08 February 2019. The event was opened by Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Italy Daya S.J. Pelpola and Consul General of Sri Lanka in Milan Denzil Fonseka. After the opening ceremony, B2B meetings were held.
The BIT International Travel Exhibition was held from 10 to 12 February 2019 at Fieramilanocity in Milan. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) sponsored Sri Lanka Pavilion was ceremonially opened by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Italy on 10 February 2019. The striking Sri Lanka Country Pavilion was a major attraction at the Exhibition and was visited by many participants and visitors. A traditional Sri Lankan dance troupe from Milan, enhanced the glamour of the country Pavilion with their performances. Ceylon tea was also served at the Pavilion. Parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna, Monitoring MP visited the Exhibition and Country Pavilion on 11 February 2019. The event was mainly coordinated by the Trade Section of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Milan. The event was also assisted and participated by the representatives from the Sri Lanka travel trade.
BIT is a historic event organized by Fiera Milano since 1980, which has brought tourists and travellers from all over the world to Lombardy region in Italy. The Exhibition also includes more than one hundred conferences and seminars, which showcase the latest trends of the tourism industry.
In addition to the officers from the SLTPB, a number of travel agents have come all the way from Sri Lanka to interact with Italian travel and tour operators and visitors, introducing their travel packages, offers, attractions and the facilities etc., in the Sri Lanka Pavilion at the BIT Milan Travel Exhibition, Sri Lanka Tourism Roadshow in Milan and B2B meetings.
The SLTPB with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome has also conducted an outdoor consumer tourism promotion by displaying video walls/ screens in the underground train stations in Rome and Milan. The Promotional event in Milan was launched on 12 February 2019 by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Rome and parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna, Monitoring MP, in the presence of the officers of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Milan. This outdoor consumer tourism promotion project by displaying video walls/ screens/posters are expected to cover 09 major metro train stations in Italy.
In terms of tourism promotion, Sri Lanka Tourism is giving information in over 10 languages including Italian. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Rome, jointly with the SLTPB and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Milan, conducted a series of similar promotions last year as well in Milan, with the objective of increasing the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka from Italy.
