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First of its kind mega travel mart in May

by Tharika Goonathilake

Buoyed by the Government's peace initiative, Sri Lanka Tourism together with the travel industry is making plans to host a mega travel mart - 'Destination Sri Lanka, Gateway to South Asia,' at the BMICH from May 17 to 22. This is the first of its kind here.

The event will showcase Sri Lanka's diverse tourism product and create a platform for buyers/sellers and potential tour operators to meet, discuss and deliberate on issues on inter and intra regional tourism.

The parley, to be organised in the lines of similar Travel Fairs overseas, is expected to draw over 150 new buyers from America, the Middle East, Austria, East Asia and Europe in addition to regional players.

"Our aim is to lay the groundwork to promote the country as the tourism hub of South Asia. This not an unrealistic expectation given the vast interest in the country's diverse tourism product and the status Sri Lanka now enjoys as a safe destination," Sri Lanka Tourism Board Chairman Paddy Withana told the Daily News yesterday.

Last year, tourism recorded a revenue of around US$ 254 million in comparison to US$ 211 million in 2001. Arrivals was up by 16.7 per cent in 2002 with 393,171 tourists as against 336,794 in 2001. "All this augers well for Sri Lanka's tourism industry and events of this nature generate more interest about the destination," Withana said.

The landmark event, which will be promoted through Sri Lanka's Tourist Board representative offices overseas, Sri Lankan Embassies and Sri Lankan Airlines, will also provide a forum by way of a conference to discuss and deliberate on issues relating to regional tourism and to project South Asia as the destination of the next decade.

"The Travel Mart will help to further facilitate efforts made by other South Asian destinations to create two/three centre holiday options to the international tourism market with Sri Lanka as the gateway," the Chairman said.

Exhibitions, a travel fair, seminars, workshops, familiarisation tours and a host of festivities to give visiting participants a chance to savour a taste of `paradise' are also on the cards.

The four-day Mart is to be opened to the public on May 20 to enable the business community to showcase their products to both the local and international tourists.

The event, initiated by Tourism Minister Gamini Lokuge in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and the travel industry, also strives to develop Sri Lanka's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) market.

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