By Harischandra Gunaratna

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Rumy Jauffer said Chinese tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka had increased by 150 percent compared to last year.

He was speaking at the signing recently of an MoU on friendly cooperation between Sri Lanka Tourism and the Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau of China in Colombo, co-ordinated by the Sri Lanka-China Friendship Society.

It was signed by Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Bhaswera Gunaratne and Deputy Director General of Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau Dong Zuwen.

“China is becoming a key market for Sri Lanka and the MoU would pave the way for bilateral tourism promotions between the two parties,Jauffer said.

One of the salient features of the MoU is the envisaging of the launch of charter flights between Sri Lanka and the Chinese province.

Dong Zuwen, Deputy Director General of Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau said that there were a large number of highly successful entrepreneurs in the province and if Sri Lanka is properly marketed as a destination the country would gain immensely from high-end tourism.

Dong said Sri Lanka being a small country, the holidaymakers have a greater chance of enjoying the multitude of choices offered by what its tourism portfolio offers and hence the country has an edge over other countries in the region.

Dong also emphasized the need to promote niche markets and one of the areas that the country’s tourism authorities should look into is promoting ‘Tea Tourism” as the world renowned ‘Ceylon Tea’ is still talked about in China and the holidaymakers would love to learn the tea story of Sri Lanka with visits to tea plantations, enjoying a well earned holiday with tailor made packages.

Another niche market would be religious tourism with package tours organized on similar lines for which there would be a tremendous demand.

Sri Lanka and China being prominent Buddhist countries, much could be done to promote bilateral tourism by creating awareness, the Deputy Director General added.

He was also impressed with the pristine beaches of Sri Lanka,culture and heritage sites and hill country where he was able to visit during his short stay here.

Source : http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=113174

Dong stressed the need for more Cantonese speaking tour guides and more restaurants serving Cantonese cuisine here.