‘Get Sri Lankaned’ campaign huge success to Sri Lanka’s tourism, trade and industry

Sri Lanka’s first-ever mega promotion, with joint efforts from public and private sectors, was initiated under the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and was held from 21 to 24 February in Bangalore, India. This is a joint effort by key Government institutions and private sector organisations.

The campaign, which was launched on 21 February in Bangalore, India, saw its successful conclusion on Sunday, 24 February. This campaign, held in Bangalore, was organised under the guidance of Basil Rajapaksa, the Minister of Economic Development.

Having identified India, Japan, China, Korea and Russia as emerging markets, the SLTPB executed a new series of promotional activities incorporating the new strategies of the Government to expand the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. ‘Get Sri Lankaned’ was the first-ever joint promotional campaign launched under the aforesaid new promotional activities.

Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Development Dr. P.B. Jayasundera played a crucial role in the process of this three day joint promotional campaign. The active role of the Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Bhashwara Gunarathna and the Managing Director of SLTPB Rumy Jauffer in organising this campaign resulted in making it a success.

Sri Lankan Night

The first event on the schedule was the Sri Lankan Night held on 21 February 2013. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) appointed cricketing legend and the Member of Parliament Sanath Jayasuriya as the Tourism Ambassador of Sri Lanka during the Sri Lankan Night.

Accordingly, Sanath Jayasuriya was given a plaque by Muthu Sivalingam, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development. The Sri Lankan Night, which was the first promotional programme under ‘Get Sri Lankaned’, was held at Vivanta by Taj hotel in Bangalore.  As per this appointment made by Sri Lanka Tourism under the advice of Basil Rajapaksa, the former Sri Lankan cricket star will function as a tourist ambassador in future, with the view to promote Sri Lanka as a renowned destination internationally.

High profile politicians from Bangalore were also among the guests at this event, which included the celebrities like actors Ambareesh and Sudeep. The event was also graced by the participation of other Sri Lankan cricketing stars including world champion skipper Arjuna Ranthunga. Moreover, over 300 leading businessmen, tour operators and airlines in India also took part in the event.

Representing Sri Lanka, Prasad Kariyawasam, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Dr. Ameer Ajward, Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai, Dr. Willie Gamage, Secretary to the Ministry of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation, Bashwara Gunarathna, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism, Anil Koswattha, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Handicraft Board, Rumy Jauffer, the Managing Director of SLTPB and Nishantha Ranathunga, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board participated in this event. The ‘Get Sri Lankaned’ night was a colourful event featuring fashion and cultural shows which reflected the unique Sri Lankan identity and participants at the event were truly entertained.

Lankan stars promote campaign

On the second day of the campaign (22 February), the participants got the opportunity to attend business meetings arranged at the Vivanta by Taj hotel in Bangalore. Over 150 professionals working in the Indian tourism and trade industry attended these meetings. It was a great opportunity for those in the Sri Lankan travel and trade industry to build up links that would help their respective industries. On the same day, a shopping mall activation event was held at the Garuda Mall, Bangalore. In association with SriLankan Airlines and Jet Airways, SLTPB offered free tour packages to Indians who were the winners of over 50 game shows and raffle draws organised by the SLTPB.

On 23 February, the famous cricketer Kumar Sangakkara attended the shopping mall activation event. The SLTPB took this as an opportunity to convince many of their fans in attendance that Si Lanka is an ideal tourist destination. The famous and stunning Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez also graced the occasion with her presence. It added a lot of colour to the event and she received very positive responses from the crowd. Her attendance has also helped make the shopping mall activation program a success.  Commenting on the campaign, Jacqueline said: “Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The best thing about this island is the kindness and friendliness of its people. Its people are dedicated to hospitality and this quality will enable them to boost their thriving industry of tourism. At present, many tourists are travelling from India to Sri Lanka and with the programmes like ‘Get Sri Lankaned’, Sri Lanka will able to promote its product further among the Indian nationals.”

Campaign partners

Both electronic and print media in India had been backing the campaign from the start and the campaign wouldn’t have been a success had it not been for their praise-worthy support. They gave extensive coverage to the activities continuously and helped attract the public to the events organised. Sri Lanka Tourism, under the Ministry of Economic Development, organised this event in partnership with State associate partners such as the Export Development Board, SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Cricket, Sri Lanka Tea Board, National Gem and Jewellery Authority, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Sri Lanka Handy Craft Board (Laksala) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

Taj Hotels and Palaces, Sri Dalada Maligawa, Tourist Hotel Association Of Sri Lanka (THASL), Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), the Edna Group, Ceylon Biscuits Limited, Avirate, Dankotuwa Porcelain, Spa Ceylon, Noritake, Prasanna Bathik, Dilmah Tea, Siddhalepa, Stone & String, Jet Airways and Divulapitiya Handlooms joined as the associated partners for this joint promotion campaign.

The Sri Lanka High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam, the Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai and Dr. K. Sudakar, Honorary Consul in Bangalore, also assisted in organising this joint promotion campaign in India. Sri Lanka welcomed 176,340 Indian tourists in 2012, the biggest number of arrivals from a single country. SLTPB also expects to attract 400,000 Indian tourists by 2016, thus helping to reach Sri Lanka’s goal of 2.5 million visitors by 2016.