In the back drop of UK arrivals crossing 72,800 at first half 2015, Sri Lanka Tourism together with Sri LankanAirlines invited six high profile journalists from Britain, Ireland and Scotland from leading print media.

The invited leading print media such as award winning Sunday Independent, Travel Extra, The Sun UK leading travel magazine Travel Trade Gazette, Selling Travel, Sunday Express, ABTA Magazine and Herald “Scotland to experience Sri Lanka – One Island, Thousand Treasures” and then share this experience with their loved community of readers to make Sri Lanka be part of the choice set when wanting to experience such treasures – be it the sunny beaches, the variety of wild life, the unique heritage and culture of Sri Lanka, the Ayurvedic experience, thrills and adventure not forgetting Ceylon tea gardens, the only ethically produced tea globally.

The six high profile journalists from Britain, Ireland and Scotland was invited in a joint partnership between Sri Lanka Tourism and SriLanka Airlines to savour “ one island- thousand treasures”

The Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Rohantha Athukorala hosting for tea mentioned that UK is the number one destination for Sri Lanka tourism given that we see how the promise of Sri Lanka tourism “ 8 wonderful experiences in 8 wonderful days” is really lived by a typical British, Irish and Scottish traveller when one visits our country, he commented.

Athukorala also shared the performance in the first six months where 830,200 visitors have experienced Sri Lanka at a growth of 14.1% with revenue earnings crossing a billion dollars to the country as per Central Bank.

The UK travellers who visited Sri Lanka contributed 22.4% to the revenue making it the number one destination in value. Sri Lanka tourism is targeting 190,000 visitors in the year 2015 announced Athukorala.

The journalists visited the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, Kandy and the Cultural Triangle. The ancient kingdom Polonnaruwa where the box office $16.5 million dollar Disney Nature movie of 2015 Monkey Kingdom was filmed and gage background to thus epic documentary that has made Sri Lanka a much talked about on the area of bio diversity and group behavior analogy among children in the United States.

The movie is expected to be released in the UK around September. Monkey Kingdom film that was launched in Hollywood on Earth Day 2015 is based on a family of monkeys living in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

The movie has taken 3 years to produce by Disney Nature under the independent film label of Walt Disney Studio. We are currently test marketing the concept in UK and if it comes through positively like in the US, we will create a media and travel agency hype at the launch which will benefit Sri Lanka Tourism, said Chairman Athukorala.

Sri Lanka Market head, Chameera Peiris said we are building the hype of the brand Sri Lanka for the next season. Post this marketing initiative I will be personally visiting the key tour operators in the UK to share the new products that Sri Lanka is promotions and there after profile the country at the Over 50’s a Travel Fair in July.

There after we will be driving towards a multi city Road and Country programme together with the private sector.

Sri Lanka Tourism representative in the London office Nalin Perera led the delegation to Sri Lanka and begun the one to one Sri Lanka tourism presentations with the leading tour operators so that we rev the marketing destination top of mind destination stake for the winter season, said Athukorala.