Mango TV’s ‘Serendipitous Journeys’ puts SL’s East on map

From left: Serendipitous Journeys producer Li Chao, actress Xu Yiyang and actor/former member of South Korean boy band EXO Huang Zitao with Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath at a press briefing in Colombo yesterday PIC BY PRADEEP PATHIRANA

In a timely boost for destination Sri Lanka, China’s Mango TV has wrapped up filming a high-profile reality series in Trincomalee, which when aired, will give a fresh wave of visibility for the island’s east coast and a possible uptick in Chinese outbound travel to the country.

Titled Serendipitous Journeys, the cross-cultural series is led by producer Li Chao and features celebrity couple Huang Zitao (former member of South Korean boy band EXO) and Xu Yiyang, two of China’s biggest entertainment names, with a combined digital following of over 120 million. The show marks the first time a project of this scale, backed by a state-owned broadcaster, has chosen Sri Lanka as a primary location. The Trincomalee leg of the series comprises six 90-minute episodes and is slated to premiere in July 2025. Unlike typical travel shows, Serendipitous Journeys leans into immersive storytelling, placing the celebrity pair in the home of a local family, where they run a homestay and adapt to daily routines.

The Eastern coastal town of Trincomalee was selected for its serene beaches during this season and for its untapped potential in tourism promotion, offering a contrast to the already popular southern belt. Additional scenes filmed across the country are being incorporated into the final cut, intended to present a more holistic portrait of Sri Lanka’s culture, landscape and hospitality infrastructure. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said it views this production as a strategic leap in positioning Sri Lanka on the global map through soft power and narrativebased promotion. The bureau also emphasised its intention to pursue more initiatives and partnerships of this kind to elevate Sri Lanka’s global image and attract quality tourism.