11 March 2017 12:00 am
Sri Lanka is targeting 150,000 German tourists this year. This was revealed during a meeting between Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga and the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Brigitte Zypries on the sidelines of the ongoing ITB in Berlin this week. Zypries is also the Minister of Tourism in Germany.
Minister Amaratunga thanked the German government for supporting tourism development in Sri Lanka. The Minister noted that Sri Lanka received 134,275 German tourists last year indicating a growth of 15 percent compared to the previous year. He said that ITB will be used as a stepping stone to carry out an aggressive tourism promotion campaign in Germany this year.
It was further revealed during the discussions that Sri Lanka Tourism has already embarked on a promotional campaign focusing on different regions in Germany. Minister Amaratunga told the German Minister that Sri Lanka was proud to have partnered with ITB from its inception.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Brigitte Zypries assured Minister Amaratunga that Germany will extend its fullest co-operation to develop Sri Lanka’s tourism industry since the country is now considered one of the safest destinations for European travellers.
“German travelers are always talking about the warm hospitality and friendliness of the Sri Lankan people. They are very eager to return to the country over and over again,” said Minister Zypries.
A large contingent of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry stakeholders are participating at this year’s ITB which is considered the biggest travel fair in the world.
An unbroken 50-year partnership, peace, security, respect for human rights and Sri Lanka’s many tourist attractions were the main highlights of an exclusive press conference organized by Sri Lanka Tourism as part of its ITB programme in Berlin.
The press conference attracted a large number of international journalists and travel writers which was a clear indication of the interest generated by the German media on Sri Lanka. Minister Amaratunga highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka was participating at ITB for the 50th consecutive year this year and that as a result of it a strong relationship had developed between the two countries. He pointed out that Vogue Magazine (France) had described Sri Lanka as one of the most fashionable destinations to visit in its latest issue. He said that this was a very positive sign for the country’s tourism industry.
“Sri Lanka has many luxury hotels and the list is growing. The country’s compactness, diversity and authenticity are unique. This is what makes Sri Lanka the perfect destination for leisure travelers,” the Minister said.
“The current government does not have any enemies and had made friends around the world. Democracy has been restored along with respect for human rights. Sri Lanka is now a safe haven for tourists and everybody is free to move about,” he told the packed press conference.
The Minister drew attention to Sri Lanka’s own travel fair, Gateway to South Asia 2017’ which is to take place from the 4 to the 7th of May 2017 in Colombo. “I would like to invite journalists to attend ‘Gateway to South Asia’ International Travel Fair in Colombo in May and experience first-hand all that Sri Lanka has to offer.”
In a ground breaking move, the public relations team of Sri Lanka Tourism launched a special programme at the Sri Lanka Pavilion to attract top journalists and bloggers to Sri Lanka. Under the visiting journalists and bloggers programme of Sri Lanka Tourism, high profile journalists will be invited to Sri Lanka on fully sponsored familiarization tours in return for media coverage in international publications.
The press conference was chaired by Minister John Amaratunga. Others at the head table were Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany Karunathilaka Amunugama, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism, Paddy Withana, President, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Devindre Senaratne, President, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Sanath Ukwatte and President, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism Sri Lanka (ASMET), Rohan Abeywickrama.