Sri Lanka tourist boards launch campaigns in France & Belgium to attract more tourists

More French and Belgian tourists are expected after a mega PR exercise involving 20 leading journalists from these two European markets has been concluded. The commendable initiative was organized jointly with Salaün Holidays, a leading tour operator in France, by the Chairman and Managing Director of Connaissance de Ceylan and Theme Resorts and Spas Chandra Wickramasinghe.

Twenty journalists from France and Belgium were flown in from print, magazines, radio, and television to spend four days in Sri Lanka to obtain the first-hand experience of the post-Easter Sunday disaster. Having been an ardent advocate of Sri Lanka for 15 years, Salaün Holidays President Michel Salanu said his company had brought more than 2,000 tourists annually, mostly from France and to a lesser degree from Belgium, and the numbers will increase following the journalists ' familiarisation tour.

Having been an ardent supporter of Sri Lanka for 15 years, Salaün Holidays President Michel Salanu said his company had brought more than 2,000 tourists annually, mostly from France and to a lesser degree from Belgium, and the numbers will increase following the journalists ' familiarisation tour. Chandra Wickremesinghe said the initiative would likely result in Salaün organized tourists doubling to 4,000 this year or next year.

Connaissance estimates that follow-up advertising in French and Belgian media is worth Rs. Three hundred fifty million after journalists savored Sri Lanka for four days enjoying some of the best tourist attractions including an air trip to Sigiriya and experiences like tuk-tuk and train rides, authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, etc.

Minister of Tourism and Aviation State Arundika Fernando, President of Sri Lanka Tourism Kimarli Fernando and President Sanath Ukwatte of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, commended the initiative by Connaissance and Salaün, as the French market is essential. A more aggressive marketing campaign and direct flights from Paris have highlighted as measures that will help boost more French and neighboring European tourists.

OSL Take: Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is a crucial segment of growth in the country’s economy and also provides a high level of direct and indirect employment to thousands. Sri Lanka continues to be among the top tourist destinations in several critical global travel publications. The industry also showed an impressive return to normalcy following the setback suffered in the Easter Sunday attacks in April. Furthermore, along with the continuous growth in tourist arrivals to the country, there has been an increase in investments in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.

Tourist arrivals to the country are on a steady growth path as well, which in turn has resulted in the expansion of business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Sri Lanka continues to make it to the top as a must-visit destination in lists of travel destinations compiled by renowned travel publications. Foreign businesses/investors could, therefore, explore business opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.

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