Ceylon Chamber, Citibank and Facebook webinar on Sri Lanka Tourism and Way Forward

Citibank in partnership with The Ceylon Chamber Academy and Facebook on 30 May at 10.00 a.m. will hold a webinar on Sri Lanka tourism and the way forward.

Dr. Jordi Fornies

Mahen Kariyawasam

Shiromal Cooray

Sanath Ukwatte

The eminent panel will include The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Mahen Kariyawasam, and Facebook APAC Director, Emerging Markets Dr. Jordi Fornies. 

The session will be moderated by Jetwing Hotels Chairperson Shiromal Cooray 

Ogranisers said the webinar is timely as a way of support to the industry as well as the Chamber membership. This discussion will touch on the current challenges faced by the tourism industry and ways of overcoming them, especially for main stakeholders, including inbound/outbound tour operators and hotels.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has pushed socio-economic structures into a standstill and has challenged globalisation and global operations of enterprises. Businesses are yet to look at alternative methods of regaining business functions, especially in the sectors which have been adversely impacted. The tourism industry has been one such sector, especially due to the severe threat it imposed on international travellers and resulted to a pandemic mainly through travel. 

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s fastest growing industries and is a key contributor to our economy in terms of generating foreign currency. The industry has long suffered, and was recovering from the adverse impacts of the Easter attacks in April 2019. Today, COVID-19 has made the industry more vulnerable and seeks immediate recovery measures to sustain in the longer run. 

To register, please email [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].