Sri Lanka opens doors to international travellers, showcasing travel and adventure experiences

In October, 10 high profile journalists and travel influencers were invited to Sri Lanka from Norway, India and Philippines

Indian media and influencer team 

visiting Sigiriya

Experiencing Hela Vedakam a.k.a. indigenous medicine

Experiencing Hela Vedakam a.k.a. indigenous medicine

Promoting Bible Rock in Aranayake, Kegalle District (Bathalegala)

Creating content about Sri Lankan Laksha at Hapuvida Village, Matale District

Experiencing local village culture in Matale District

Many countries are reopening their borders to international travellers by lifting the travel restrictions, after more than a year of lockdowns due to COVID-19. Vaccines have given cause of optimism for travelling. Knowing the importance of tourism driven sustainable economic development, Sri Lanka Tourism has relaxed the travel restrictions for international tourists from 1 October. 

In relation to the post-COVID related destination promotions, Sri Lanka Tourism’s International Media and Influencer Facilitation Program (VJP &VBP) which is under the PR Division, already started to collaborate with some of the most talented international travel influencers and travel journalists. With these influencer promotions, Sri Lanka Tourism expects focus on:

nExperiencing travel relaxation by Sri Lanka Tourism (entering Sri Lanka) and Sri Lanka’s great accommodation sector with Ayurveda, wild, nature, beach and relaxation.

nHow welcoming Sri Lankans are and how normal life is with safe and secure measurements set up by the Government

nReasons to consider lesser known fresh regions such as Northern Sri Lanka, Sabaragamuwa and Central highlands for next holiday  

In October, 10 high profile journalists and travel influencers were invited to Sri Lanka from Norway, India and Philippines. The media and travel influencer team has an active audience covering UK, Norway, Germany, USA, UAE, Australia, Canada, Philippines and India. The combined reach of this promotion is expected to be over five million (viewers and readers both online/offline) globally and the advertising value to be over Rs. 23 million.

YouTube based social media kick-started from October (15 October to 6 November) to highlight and pinpoint Sri Lanka’s lesser known tourism experience in order to lure enthusiastic travellers to have the vacation of their choice. 

The Norwegian based influencers (Martin Solhaugen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGKwnJYiAAg&t=5s /Ave and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWKgZfxeLsw) have been further commissioned by the famous DW Germany TV channel (Deutsche Welle) to produce a travel vlog about Sri Lanka for their Travel YouTube channel. 

DW is a German public State-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 30 languages. DW's satellite television service consists of channels in English, German, Urdu, Hindi, Spanish, Bengali, and Arabic.

Overall, this promotion will be covering Matale, Kegalle, Kandy, Hatton, Mahiyanganaya and the southern coastal line by covering various tourism products – Hela Vedakam, adventure travel, luxury travel, community-based tourism, nature and eco-tourism, indigenous Vedda community and promoting less known Sri Lanka. 

The Indian media and influencer delegation comprised renowned travel bloggers, YouTubers and travel journalists commissioned by National Geographic and Forbes – India. Among the invited travel influencers, Indian bloggers Veidehi Gite (https://www.krazybutterfly.com/veidehi-gite/), Nivedith Gajapathy, Meenakshi (www.polkajunction.com), Siddhartha Joshi, Soumya Gayatri, and Ami Bhat (www.thrillingtravel.in), Khursheed Dinsohw (https://www.forbesindia.com/article/forbes-lifes/sips-from-sri-lanka-the-making-of-ceylonese-tea/57325/1) were also included to promote tourism in Sri Lanka. 

This will be an 11-day tour which will give the Indian journalists and bloggers a unique experience of Sri Lanka’s popular and upcoming tourist attractions, culture and ancient heritage. The fam tour will also host a Colombo city tour, and in addition will visit major cities covering Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Negombo covering famous attractions such as Sigiriya, Minneriya National Park, Dambulla Cave Temple, Namal Uyana, Nagadeepa, Jaffna Dutch Fort, Point Pedro and other destinations. 

A unique content plan itinerary designed with activity and adventure has been drafted for all travel bloggers and media groups by Sri Lanka Tourism’s International Media Facilitation Team, where they will witness ‘So Sri Lanka,’ our rich diversity and compactness. 

SLTPB hopes that by organising these media tours, the travellers will gain extensive knowledge about the multiple travel opportunities the country has to offer and mark Sri Lanka as the number one destination for those who want to seek experience and adventure during the upcoming seasons.