SL-Italy Business Council discusses ways to win Italian tourists

From left: SLITBC Vice President Dushy Jayaweera, SLITBC President Daminda Mulgama, Damiano Francovigh, Italian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Alberto Arcidiacono, SLITBC Past President Janaka, SLITCB Committee Member Anika Williamson

From left: Miguel Cunat of Pekoe Trails, Italian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Alberto Arcidiacono, SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam, SLAITO President Nalin Jayasundera and Jetwing Hotels Marketing Director Hashan Cooray

The Sri Lanka-Italy Business Council (SLITBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Colombo, hosted a workshop recently on ‘Winning and Retaining Italian Tourists’, bringing together tourism industry leaders, diplomatic representatives and travel experts from Italy.

Delivering the keynote address, Italian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Alberto Arcidiacono highlighted the evolving preferences of Italian travellers and the many unique experiences Sri Lanka has to offer that resonate with them. 

The panel discussion on the Italian travel market featured Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTD) and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President and Aitken Spence Travels Managing Director Nalin Jayasundera and Miguel Cuñat, founder and designer of Sri Lanka’s revolutionary 300km plus, 22-stage hiking route, the Pekoe Trail. The discussion was moderated by Jetwing Hotels Director Marketing and Development Hashan Cooray. 

The discussion centred around key themes such as the expectations of various Italian traveller segments, particularly luxury tourists and what Sri Lanka must do to compete with regional rivals such as Thailand and Malaysia. The panellists also discussed the ‘wish list’ of Italian travellers, including personalised itineraries, addressing language problems and delivering authentic local experiences and high-quality service standards. 

Joining the discussion virtually from Italy, three Italian travel agents shared their insights on traveller behaviour, current booking trends and competitive positioning of Sri Lanka in the Italian market.

The event attracted an enthusiastic turnout, with participation from destination management companies and tour operators to airline representatives and online travel agents.