Sri Lanka wins big at Guangzhou International Travel Fair

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau represented by Head of China Desk Chinthaka Liyanaarachchi together with the active facilitation of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou participated in the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) from 1-3 March.  

Travel and tour representatives from 15 companies and SriLankan Airlines participated in this year’s Trade Fair to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive and superior travel destination.

Many visitors to the Sri Lanka pavilion commented on the aesthetically pleasing design of the pavilion and riveting dance performances of the Chandana Wickramasinghe dance troupe. 

The GITF Awards night held at the Intercontinental Hotel in the evening of 1 March saw Sri Lanka winning the ‘Most Attractive Tourist Destination’ award. This is the third consecutive year in which Sri Lanka has won an award at the GITF. In 2015 and 2016 respectively Sri Lanka won the ‘Most Popular Tourism Destination’ awards at the GITF.  These awards reinforce the view that Sri Lanka is a perennial favourite among discerning travellers especially in China.

A Sri Lanka Tourism Roadshow was held on 5 March at the Hilton hotel in Tianhe, Guangzhou to showcase Sri Lanka as a superior and premier travel experience. The event was attended by Liu Yu Mei, the Head of the Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality which hosts the GITF.

Consul General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou Shanika Dissanayake addressing the audience commented that China remains the second largest source of tourist arrivals for Sri Lanka and is a leading and strong market in this respect for Sri Lanka. An interactive Q&A session with the attendees was followed by B2B sessions and a Sri Lankan dinner.

The GITF is the leading professional travel fair in South China featuring product focused workshops/seminars which enable participating countries to showcase their unique tourism products and services. This year’s GITF which had the participation of 53 countries drew unprecedented numbers from both overseas and mainland China.