Sri Lanka Tourism made its presence felt at the India International Travel & Tourism Exhibition held in Mumbai, India on 10 and 11 January.

Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga met heads of India’s tourism and travel industry associations on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Minister Amaratunga also held meetings with Chairman, Western India Chapter, Jitul Mehta, Secretary General of Tour Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Gladwin Pinto and other officials on how India could promote destination Sri Lanka in the Indian Market.

The Minister also requested TAFi to consider holding their annual convention in Sri Lanka in the month of June this year and explore the facilities available in Sri Lanka for MICE Tourism. TAFI officials were upbeat about the proposal and confirmed that the convention will be held in Colombo in June.

India International Travel & Tourism Exhibition or IITT is a leading travel, tourism and hospitality exhibition in India. Launched in 2014, IITT is the only exhibition in the country to cover all aspects of tourism which mainly include travel trade, MICE, large corporate buyers and wedding planners.

Minister John Amaratunga was the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony. Karan Anand, Head of Relationships and Supplier Management – Cox and Kings, Ade Sukendar Consul General of Indonesia, Mahendra Vakaria President, Tour Operator Association of India, Jagat Meheta, President Enterprising Travel Agents Association of India, Sunil Kumar, President Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

Felix Rodrigo, Senior Advisor to the Minister, Chamari Rodrigo and members of the tourism industry were present at the inauguration of the Sri Lanka Pavilion

Meetings were also held with key wedding planners and the Indian media. Minister Amaratunga requested their support to promote Sri Lanka as a wedding destination.