The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in partnership with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Sweden arranged the participation of Sri Lankan Destination Management Companies (DMCs) at Advenur 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania on 24-26 January. This event is considered to be one of the leading international travel fairs in the Baltic region, and its theme for this year was “Health Tourism: Luxury or Necessity?”. The three-day fair attracted more than 320 exhibitors and approximately 30,000 visitors.
The Sri Lanka pavilion was declared open by Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Lithuania with residence in Sweden, Sudantha Ganegama Arachchi and Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Lithuania Elijus Burgis. During his remarks, Ambassador Ganegama Arachchi appreciated the keen interest and efforts of the Sri Lankan DMCs to promote Sri Lanka as a unique travel destination. He further requested them to design attractive tour packages complemented by diverse travel experiences such as wellness tourism, culinary tourism, adventure tourism and sustainable tourism. Ambassador Ganegama Arachchi together with the Sri Lankan travel industry representatives met with the President of the Lithuanian Tourism Chamber Zydre Gaveliene. He briefed Ms. Gaveliene about the positive developments in the Sri Lanka tourism industry and said that the recovery pace of the industry after the Easter Sunday attacks has been much faster than initially projected. During the discussion, Ms. Gaveliene made several useful suggestions to promote Sri Lanka tourism in the Baltic region. She stressed the importance of frequent interactions between the Sri Lankan DMCs and the Lithuanian travel agencies to understand the latest developments in the Sri Lankan travel industry and changing travel trends in the Baltic region. Ms. Gaveliene was of the view that the SLTPB should take measures to organize familiarization visits, to launch targeted digital marketing programmes, and to engage travel writers and influencers for sustained tourism promotional campaigns in the region.
Six Sri Lankan DMCs participated at the Sri Lanka pavilion to showcase Sri Lanka as an exotic tourist destination for Lithuanian travelers. While representing the SLTPB, Marketing Officer for the Baltic region Jagath Perera facilitated the participation of Sri Lankan DMCs at the event. Representing Siddhalepa Ayurveda Resorts and Spas, Ushan Edirisinghe made a presentation focusing on wellness tourism and how Sri Lanka could be an ideal destination for travelers seeking a health-retreat.
