During their visit, the guests were captivated by the thrilling water sports in Bentota, indulged in the delicious cuisine of the Southern province, enjoyed the pristine beaches, and experienced the vibrant shopping vibe in Colombo. The rich cultural heritage and warm hospitality of Sri Lanka made a lasting impression on them.

One of the most memorable experiences during the programme were the exquisite gala dinners, made all the more special by the attendance of renowned Sri Lankan cricket legends. The group was honoured to have Mr. Chaminda Vass, and Mr. Aravinda De Silva at the occasion. Their presence added a touch of elegance and prestige to the event, leaving the visitors in awe.

The gala dinners were co-sponsored by Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau (SLCB). Further, Aitken Spence Travels’ Managing Director, Mr. Nalin Jayasundera, COO Mr. Suranga Rathnayake, SLCB Chairman Mr. Thisum Jayasuriya, and General Manager Mr. Krishantha Fernando graced the gala dinners.

Aitken Spence Travels remains a leader in the promotion of tourism in Sri Lanka, leveraging all possible avenues, from leisure tourism to MICE  tourism, to fuel the economic development of the country. Events of this nature provide valuable opportunities to tourism stakeholders such as transportation providers, hospitality partners and aesthetic experience providers. With an unwavering dedication to delivering unparalleled travel experiences, Aitken Spence Travels aspires to showcase the finest that Sri Lanka has to offer to the global audience, creating enduring memories for every traveler.

Source: ASTL Team

Speaking at a Media briefing at the official launch of the event, Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson, Kimarli Fernando said the proposed event consists of a virtual exhibition, interactive webinars, business forums and engaging experiences to showcase what Sri Lanka can offer for MICE and Business events travellers. Local sellers representing the Sri Lankan meetings and events industry will exhibit their products and services at the event.

“We expect around 100 buyers for the event, but at the moment have around 300 registered, 40% of them from India,” she said.

Fernando said, Sri Lanka is 62% vaccinated, and it has included the tourism industry along with the health industry for booster shots. Sri Lanka is the only country so far to include the tourism sector for the booster shot.

Fernando added that Sri Lanka is the first country to introduce the bio bubble concept in January 2021. “Several countries copied our bio bubble concept. They contacted me and asked for guidelines, which I gladly gave them.  As a result of pioneering the bio bubble concept, Sri Lankan representatives were one among the two countries which were asked to speak at the World Travel Market event. 

With the successful vaccination drive, foreigners who are fully vaccinated and have a PCR Report before boarding can just go to any place in Sri Lanka as they did in the pre-COVID period. However, if they are not vaccinated, they have to follow the bio-bubble concept. “

Fernando added that Sri Lanka is one of the best MICE destinations in the world, as MICE tourism is currently integrated with other tourist activities. “Sri Lanka with its sandy beaches, hill stations and cultural centre, has even more to offer compared to the world’s top MICE tourism destinations such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai.

“Sri Lanka has world class wedding planners and event managers, and I recommend them to utilise this to network with regional companies,” she said.

Source: https://ceylontoday.lk/index.php/news/sri-lanka-has-potential-to-be-world-s-top-mice-destination-kimarli

Considering the potential for MICE tourism from Mumbai and the post-COVID requirements of corporates, the session was organised to showcase Sri Lanka as a favourable MICE destination. 

The opening remarks was delivered by Consul General of Sri Lanka Dr. Valsan Vethody. During his address, the Consul General stated that Sri Lanka was ready to welcome all the corporates and business engagements because of the steps taken to ease the COVID-19 restrictions in the country by following an intensive lockdown and extensive vaccination drive. Further, he went on to mention that other than the conventional tourism, Sri Lanka had a long tradition in hosting major MICE and business events. 

Sri Lanka’s strength, in this regard, lies in modern infrastructure and facilities to organise international conferences and events of all sizes and this is supported by the diversity of attractions, from beaches to culture, heritage, wildlife and mountains, mouth-watering cuisine, which matches any international standard. 

The webinar began with two videos depicting cultural heritage and hospitality of Sri Lanka. SLCB General Manager Krishantha Fernando made a presentation on what Sri Lanka offers as a MICE tourism destination and Sri Lanka’s capabilities under this sector. He invited the MICE tour operators and the representatives joining the webinar to organise their next corporate event in Sri Lanka. 

Keynote speakers representing important industry stakeholders also expressed their views during the webinar. Representing Sri Lankan industry partners, Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers President Imran Hassan, and Tourist Hotel Association of Sri Lanka President Sanath Ukwatte explained how MICE service providers and the accommodation sector in Sri Lanka was equipped to cater for any MICE movement. Apart from hosting corporate events, Sri Lanka’s ability to host wedding functions, especially, the lavish Indian wedding at a lesser cost, was also highlighted.

Tour Agents Association of India Vice President Jay Bhatia and Tour Agents Federation of India Executive Member Sampat Damani, addressed the webinar representing the Indian stakeholders. They expressed their appreciation for opening Sri Lanka for Indian travellers and further relaxing entry requirements and agreed to promote Sri Lanka as a MICE destination among their clientele. 

Apart from the above representations, officials from SLCB briefed the gathering about SLCB’s promotional events lined up for India in 2022 and recent updates on travel guidelines to Sri Lanka. SriLankan Airlines representative joining the webinar expressed that SriLankan Airlines was able to handle any MICE movement from India with the support of its 11 branch offices in key cities in India. 

More than 50 participants who are specialised in MICE tourism and media personnel joined the meeting. The webinar was concluded with a Q & A session and it was coordinated and moderated by Consul (Commercial) of the Mission Sandun Sameera.

Source: https://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Webinar-promotes-MICE-tourism-between-Sri-Lanka-and-India/27-724280

The inaugural ITB India is an annual three-day business-to-business trade show and convention which facilitates to connect destinations to the Indian and South Asian Travel market. ITB India brings together key travel industry leaders and international exhibitors from various segments of MICE, leisure, corporate travel and technology. 

Leverage on ITB India to capture the fast-growing Indian and South Asian markets, is important to forge new partnerships and strengthen existing business relations with the most important players in India. 

The first edition of ITB India virtual will take place from 7-9 April. 

The event will be hosted on ITB Community in Asia (https://www.itb-community.com) – a one of a kind, unrivalled 24/7 platform for trade professionals to forge connections, strike conversations and do business.

The virtual conference platform, which is parallel to the ITB India, more than 80 most influential leaders in MICE industry will share insights on current industry recovery and the way forward of the. The organisers of ITB India have invited Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism to speak at the ITB India virtual conference on industry recovery and plans for 2021. 

The theme of this year’s ITB India Conference is ‘Rebuilding Travel’. While the travel industry is currently undergoing change, industry experts will share their ideas on the future of the Indian and South Asian travel markets. The conference will cover topics, ranging from travel recovery across MICE, corporate, leisure travel and travel technology. It brings together top tourism leaders and industry experts from the public and private sector to share their thoughts and insights on travel and tourism sector. Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando speaks on Sri Lanka tourism and MICE industry prospects and unique offerings with the special focus to the Indian market. 

Sri Lanka session is listed under ‘On Demand’ agenda of the Conference and it would be available for viewing 24/7 from 7 April-7 May, which is extended beyond the original event’s date, 7-9 April.

The visitors could register by visiting to http://www.itb-community.com/itb-india-2021/visit and click the ‘Register as a Trade Visitor’ button. The same will be featuring on ITB India and ITB Asia social media platforms: Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Sri Lanka Convention Bureau organising the participation at the ITB India to connect with Indian tourism and MICE market in line with the opening of Sri Lanka for tourists.

Source: http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Sri-Lanka-Convention-Bureau-participates-at-ITB-India/27-715996

Source: http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Sri-Lanka-Convention-Bureau-launches-Meet-in-Sri-Lanka-series-to-resume-MICE-tourism/27-715009

Sri Lanka’s premium venue for hosting events and functions, BMICH, offers state of the art infrastructure and can easily accommodate any type of convention, seminar, exhibition, conference, or wedding including multi-day international events.

Sri Lanka is a one-stop destination for event hosting. The partnership between BMICH and SriLankan Holidays, is expected to provide a wide range of business opportunities combined with leisure activities through all-inclusive, tailor-made holiday packages for a perfect ‘workation.’

Further, the support of Sri Lankan Airlines would enable this partnership to leverage on competitive airfares and offer true value for money to MICE customers in key markets.

Source: https://www.lankabusinessonline.com/bmich-and-srilankan-airlines-in-agreement-to-help-sustain-mice-tourism/

Sri Lanka delegation with Kapila Fonseka, Consul General of Sri Lanka Consulate in Melbourne, Australia 

Business meetings in progress 

Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia organised a Sri Lanka Pavilion at Asia Pacific Meetings and Incentive Event (AIME) which was held at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia from 17-19 February.

AIME is the leading trade event for the meetings and event industry in the Asia Pacific Region.

The main objective of the event was to capitalise the MICE opportunities available in the Asia Pacific Region and thereby to promote Sri Lanka as a venue for international and regional conventions, meetings, exhibitions, and incentive travel destination.

There were 10 exhibitors registered for the event with SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka participated at the event. As per the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) statistics published in 2019, Australia is the fifth largest market for Sri Lanka and accounted for 92,674 tourist arrivals. The commencement of direct flights to Melbourne has positively contributed to increase the importance of the market.

Bureau has identified Australia as a potential market for promoting Sri Lanka MICE industry in line with set target of $ 10 billion industry with seven million tourist arrivals by 2025.

In the year 2020, AIME brought 360 hosted buyers from different parts of the world. AIME 2020 provided an opportunity for the Sri Lankan Industry participants to have pre scheduled business meetings with the hosted buyers.

The day 1 of the Exhibition dedicated for personal and professional development at the Knowledge Exchange, where participants had the opportunity to listen and participate in a number of sessions across the day from PCMA, ICCA, SITE and MEA. The content was relevant to the meeting and incentives industry.   The day two and day three were allocated for the Business Meetings.  Kapila Fonseka, Consul General of Sri Lanka Consulate General in Melbourne, Australia visited the Sri Lanka Pavilion and grace the participants.

The event generated 150 inquires for the participants through pre-scheduled meetings.

Source:http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/SL-Convention-Bureau-organises-Sri-Lanka-Pavilion-at-AIME-2020/27-697242

Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) successfully participated in its first trade fair for the year 2020 at Business/MICE and Leisure Travel Mart 2020 (BLTM) which was held at Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, New Delhi from 31 January and 1 February.

BLTM is an exclusive two-day travel mart focused on Business, Leisure travel and MICE tourism. The event provided the opportunity to have preschedule business meetings and connect with preferred travel brands. BLTM is an annual event which rotates among major Indian cities.

India is a premier market for Sri Lanka tourism, especially for both MICE and leisure tourism.  India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka last year. As per the report published by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority for 2019, there were 355,002 arrivals from India which accounts for 19% of the total arrivals to Sri Lanka. Therefore, as a destination it is vital to continuously promote and engage with the industry stakeholders of India.

With the assistance from the Sri Lanka High Commission of New Delhi, SLCB was able to construct an attractive country pavilion.  Along with SriLankan Airlines, and 15 industry members promoted Sri Lanka as number one MICE destination in the region.  The participants were provided with pre-scheduled meetings with MICE buyers from around India considering their individual profiles.

SLCB was presented with the awards for the Best Participation and Best Decorative Pavilion. Further, BLTM acknowledged Walkers Tours as the best upcoming MICE destination.

Source:http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Sri-Lanka-Convention-Bureau-successfully-participates-at-BLTM-2020/27-696389

The Sri Lanka Consulate General in Mumbai together with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) organised two MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences, Exhibitions) promotion events on 13 and 15 November in Mumbai and Pune respectively. This was the first time that a series of MICE promotion events has taken place in Western India to promote Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for global corporate events. 

India is the largest MICE market for Sri Lanka with over 33,990 arrivals in 2018. Financial hub Mumbai and start-up hub Pune are extremely important markets for Sri Lanka’s MICE industry in targeting the growing business world and corporate sector.

The Sri Lanka delegation comprised officials of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), 14 travel and tour operators and two award-winning craftsmen. The key players of the travel trade in Western India, outbound MICE agents, corporates, association heads, incentive houses and media were in attendance.

A media interaction was held prior to the events in Mumbai and Pune to brief local media on the safety of the country and positive developments in Sri Lanka tourism industry following the Easter Sunday attacks. Delivering the opening remarks, Consul General Chamari Rodrigo welcomed the distinguished gathering and thanked them for their interest and support towards Sri Lanka when its tourism has been going through a recovery period after the April setback. She remarked that the recovery process of Sri Lanka tourism is faster than anticipated and regaining its status as an attractive MICE destination. While urging the travel trade to support Sri Lanka in jointly promoting the destination for the Indian market, she invited industry leaders to “join forces to bring Sri Lanka back on track and even beyond”.

SLCB Marketing Manager Malkanthi Welikala made a presentation on ‘Why Sri Lanka?’ positioning Sri Lanka as a preferred MICE destination and showcasing its opportunities and unique offerings for Indian travellers. SriLankan Airlines Western India Manager Ruwan Wijekoon in his presentation highlighted that Sri Lanka and India have been well-connected through air connectivity, which is the largest and widest air link. Two Indian companies that visited Sri Lanka for their conventions shared their experiences at both events to create interest amongst the Indian travel trade to promote the destination.

The program also included a ‘mask making demonstration’ by the award-winning Sri Lankan craftsmen during the B2B meetings with the travel and tour operators. Mask-making is a unique industry in Sri Lanka and the demonstrations received wide media coverage in Mumbai and Pune.

Source:http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Sri-Lanka-tourism-delegation-invites-Indian-travel-trade-to-join-forces/27-690469

Chinese familiarisation delegation

Inspection tour to BMICH

B2B session

Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), the primary contact point for meeting planners, incentive operators, and corporate houses, recently organised Sri Lanka’s participation at IBTM China – the Incentive Business Travel & Meetings Expo for the seventh consecutive year.

As a follow-up to Sri Lanka’s participation at IBTM China Exhibition, SLCB organised a familiarisation tour from China held from 12-18 October. A 10-member MICE delegation comprising leading MICE companies and journalists in Beijing visited Sri Lanka and had a unique experience on Sri Lanka’s offering for MICE.

The delegation visited several MICE places in Negombo, Kandy, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Colombo. The delegation had a familiarisation tour in Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Nelum Pokuna Theatre, both Colombo and outside hotels having conference facilities for witnessing MICE capabilities in Sri Lanka.

The visiting participants had an opportunity of unique and unforgettable exposure in Sri Lanka through hands-on experience in several iconic places in Sri Lanka during their visit to Negombo, Kandy, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Colombo.

SLCB organised a B2B session between the industry members and the Chinese delegation on 17 October at Hilton Hotel. The session provided an avenue for Sri Lankan MICE industry members to interact with Chinese delegates to further showcase the MICE capabilities in Sri Lanka.

Source:http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/SLCB-hosts-familiarisation-tour-for-Chinese-MICE-team/27-688412