SL under spotlight at Ferien Messe Wien 2025

Sri Lanka Tourism kick started its first travel fair for the year 2025, which was Ferien Messe Wien 2025, held from January 16 to 19, 2025, in Vienna, Austria.
Sri Lanka participated in collaboration with the Sri Lankan High Commission in Austria and with their support, encouraging the modern traveller to be aroused by Sri Lanka’s tradition, cultural heritage, delectable cuisine and the world-renowned hospitality.  
The Sri Lankan delegation consisted of 14 industry stakeholders and the beautifully designed Sri Lanka pavilion attracted the Austrian visitors to pay a visit to the stall and get a delightful surprise by tasting authentic Sri Lankan cuisine and traditional sweetmeats. 
The event attracted more than 71,000 visitors, offering them an inspiring blend of breathtaking experiences, global travel trends and exciting entertainment. With participation from over 430 national and international exhibitors, the event provided an unparalleled platform for showcasing destinations, culinary delights and cultural traditions.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the Sri Lanka pavilion stood above the rest as it offered some unique experiences for the visitors which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Parallel to the main event, Sri Lanka Tourism organised some exciting items such as traditional dance performances, tea promotions, Sri Lankan food tastings, further enhancing its cultural experience for the visitors, enhanced with raffle draw and prizes, to add more excitement. The welcome dance acts, including ‘Hansa’ (Swan Dance), mesmerised the audience and highlighted Sri Lanka’s rich artistic heritage.

This year’s Sri Lanka pavilion was also based on sustainable tourism, which is a much-discussed topic related to tourism these days. 
Given the necessary promotion, Austria can be highlighted as one of the top source markets for Sri Lanka, as the Austrian arrival target for this year stands at 24,500, whereas it was 17,100 last year, the SLTPB said.
It added that this could also help to make Sri Lanka reach its main target of three million this year, further increasing the surge of tourist arrivals for the year 2025.