Sri Lanka makes presence felt at largest MICE fair in Frankfurt

FAIR: Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and SriLankan Airlines together with the MICE industry made its presence strongly felt at the International Meetings and Exhibition (IMEX) fair held in Frankfurt, Germany last week.

This year’s IMEX closed having surpassed all previous visitor and hosted buyer numbers recording over 3,500 hosted buyers with 8,000 overall visitors. The uplift was a direct result of last year’s strategic decision to

 expand the show’s long-haul hosted buyer programme, with a particular emphasis on the US market.

Sri Lanka Convention Bureau which is part of the Ministry of Tourism entrusted to promote Meetings, Incentive Travel, Convention and Exhibitions ( MICE Tourism) together with SriLankan airlines and the

MICE industry took part in the conference in which a special press conference was arranged to enlighten the Travel media on the true ground situation in the country where Tourism or MICE tourism continue as the conflict is largely confined to the North and East and the visitors are not the targets.

Sri Lankan delegation was able to take advantage on the improved productivity of the IMEX during the fair.

Apart from the Pre Scheduled meetings, the team met with many potential MICE buyers from all over the world gathered at this important buyer-seller meet.

The number of German buyers particularly the Incentive houses and Meeting planners have also increased in this year’s fair. Sri Lanka expects to gain as the meetings industry expands in response to global economic expansion and growth.

The participation of this fair in this year among other competitors has fulfilled many objectives of the Bureau including clarifying the ground situation, establishing new contacts and strengthening relationship with existing buyers.