Xi’an Tourism Road Show to attract more tourists from Xi’an Province, China

The Road show held in Xi’an, at Sheraton Hotel on 17 June 2013, was successfully concluded with promising prospects to the future of Sri Lanka Tourism. This event was held in parallel with the BITE 2013 international trade fair, the largest annual tourism exhibition held in China.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), having foreseen the importance of the Chinese market to Sri Lanka’s blooming tourism industry, organised this event for local tour operators and hotels who took part in the Beijing International Travel Fair 2013(BITE 2013). Around 80 outbound tour operators from Xi’an participated in the road show.

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the People’s Republic of China Ranjith Uyangoda was the chief guest of the event. The Deputy Director General of Xi’an Province Ma Xio Li, Minister Councillor the Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing Vimal K. Arulampalam and Tourism Marketing Manager Sherry Guo also represented the road show.

25 Sri Lankan tour operators and hotels participated in BITE this year. During the course of the event, the SLTPB took steps to arrange exclusive media interviews, B2B meetings and special tour packages to promote Sri Lanka as a renowned destination. Meanwhile, the tour packages to Sri Lanka were also awarded to the Xi’an travel agencies which represented Xi’an.

Under the guidance of the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, the SLTPB organised several events of the said nature to capture the upcoming Chinese market. By the end of 2013, the SLTPB expects 1.25 million arrivals from worldwide destinations and the expected turnout from China is 60,000 visitors.