From left: Chairman Sub Committee Dirk Grigson, SLAITO Vice President  Devendra Senaratne, SLTDA Director General Malraj Kiriella, SLAITO President Mahen Kariyawasam, SLTPB Chairman Rohantha Athukorala, SLTPB Director Marketing Madubhani Perera and SLAITO Treasurer Harith Perera – Pic by Lasantha Kumara

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Mahen Kariyawasam last week announced the launch of the fifth edition of Sancharaka Udawa at a media briefing held at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM).

The trade fair will take place on 24 and 25 April from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre of the BMICH.
The tourism fair is organised in association with Sri Lanka Tourism to create a platform for all stakeholders of the tourism industry to network and gain awareness of each other’s products and services. Kariyawasam unveiled the new logo and revealed the tagline for this year’s trade fair – ‘Sri Lanka’s only tourism fair’.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Rohantha Athukorala noted that 24% of the country’s GDP comes from the tourism industry and at present stands at $ 1.7 billion. He also pointed out that with the return of democracy, the brand and destination marketing structure for Sri Lanka need to be revisited and reinvented.
Sancharaka Udawa functions as a platform where small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs of the tourism industry come together to showcase their products and services that are often utilised by the tourism sector. The organisers are positive that new business opportunities will be made available for all exhibitors as well as visitors.
The organisers have planned out 200 stalls and the space allocation starts from four square meters upwards. Investment per stall will be Rs. 12,000 upwards for SLAITO members and Rs. 15,000 upwards for non-members. The application form can be obtained through http://www.sancharakaudawa.com or by simply sending an email to info@sancharakaudawa.com . The exhibition secretariat CDC Events and Travels Ltd. can be reached on 0112587040/ 0112335557 for further information or by way of fax on 0112360070. (SH)

Source : http://www.ft.lk/2015/02/23/slaito-announces-5th-edition-of-sancharaka-udawa/