Sri Lanka Tourism shines in the Mediterranean at IMTM Travel Fair 2018

Sri Lanka Tourism showcased its splendour in the Mediterranean by participating at the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) Travel Fair, which was held from 6-7 February at the Tel Aviv Convention & Exhibitions Centre, Israel.

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Israel P. Selvaraj, together with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel, gave its full support to making this attempt a success.  The 2018 fair was the 24th edition of IMTM, established in 1994.This year, the Sri Lankan delegation included 8 travel companies, namely, Deluxe Vacations Ltd, Amaya Resorts & Spas, Hayleys Tours Ltd, Nawamini Travels Ltd, Saffron Island Destination Management Ltd, World Travel Centre Colombo Ltd, Aitken Spence Travels Ltd, and NKAR Travels & Tours Ltd.

The Sri Lankan pavilion at the fair drew the attention of visitors with its unusual creativity, and attractiveness,  as well as the wide arrange of tourist attractions which Sri Lanka has to offer, such as nature, wildlife, cultural festivals, heritage, ancient  cities and monuments which date back thousands of years, authentic and mouth-watering Sri Lankan cuisine including herbs and spices which are quite similar to those used in the Mediterranean , and not forgetting a sip of world-famous Ceylon Tea. The main objectives of this participation was to create awareness on tourism products of Sri Lanka in Israel, promoting Sri Lanka Tourism in Israel, popularising Sri Lankan tea among Israelis, and to provide opportunities for the Sri Lankan trade to have one to one meetings with Israel tour operators, and developing their business contacts. 

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB) has identified the Middle East as an important source market for Sri Lanka tourism, as SLTPB has participated at IMTM in the past with a growing interest shown by the industry. Israel is the third largest tourist-generating Middle Eastern market for Sri Lanka. In 2017, IMTM attracted over 1,550 exhibitors and 28,000 visitors from over 52 countries. In 2018, over 50 countries from Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America were expected to attend the event. ORTRA Ltd and Israel Travel News Ltd were the main organisers of the IMTM Fair, sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism. 

IMTM 2018 exhibitors included conference centres, national & regional tourist offices, spa & golf resorts, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, ground agents, airlines, destination management companies, tour operators, trade publications, trade associations and technology providers.

In 2018, Sri Lanka targets 15,000 tourist arrivals from Israel, and aims to encourage high spenders from Middle East to visit Sri Lanka and enjoy a holiday worth their expenditure. Another target will be to increase the arrivals of travel journalists, tour operators and bloggers to Sri Lanka, to further mark Sri Lanka’s name on the global map as a safe an enjoyable destination for the ideal traveller.