Austria - Sri Lanka Friendship in Vienna, in collaboration with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vienna and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), organized an outdoor Sri Lanka Promotional event titled “Sri Lanka Afternoon” on 7 June 2025 at a public garden in Hirschstetten, Austria, showcasing Sri Lanka’s unique cultural and tourism offerings. This initiative marked the revival of annual outdoor events, which had been paused during the COVID 19 pandemic.
The event attracted a diverse cross cultural audience, offering a platform for showcasing destination Sri Lanka, highlighting the country’s culinary delights and cultural traditions. This year’s theme was “brand Sri Lanka” and it was held in parallel to the annual cultural events organized by the Austrian International Cultural Association in Vienna alongside a select group of other countries from the South Asian region.
“The Sri Lanka Afternoon” was declared open by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Austria, M.R.K.Lenagala. In his remarks, the Ambassador appreciated the work of the organizers in reviving this outdoor event after a hiatus, and noted that it is in line with the SLTPB’s strategic objectives to enhance Sri Lanka’s image in key European markets through experimental cultural engagement and showcasing Sri Lanka as a high value travel destination. The Ambassador expressed confidence that this tourism promotional event would make a meaningful contribution towards achieving Sri Lanka’s national tourism target of 3 Million tourists this year.
The traditional dances performed by the Nartakah Dancing Academy in Vienna was a remarkable feature in this event. A Sri Lankan culinary Expert in Vienna, Ruwan Fernando prepared iconic Sri Lankan dishes of rich and diverse flavours.
Representatives from SPA Ceylon and Travels Destination Management (Pvt) Limited in Vienna also took part in the event with their stalls.
The participants also had a chance to taste Ceylon Tea through the Embassy stall at the event.
Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Vienna
26 June 2025
