Warm welcome for 250,000th tourist in 'Visit Sri Lanka' year

Dutch family of Ronke Noordhuis getting a special plaque engraved as the 250,000th tourist to visit Sri Lanka by yesterday from Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Acting Managing Director Malraj Kiriella.

Pic by Kumarasiri Parasad, Our Airport Correspondent

Achieving another remarkable milestone, Sri Lanka tourism welcomed the 250,000th tourist at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday.

A team of tourism officials headed by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) Acting Managing Director Malraj Kiriella welcomed the guest, Ronke Noordhuis, who arrived here with his family on the QR 302 flight from Doha at 5:15 p.m.

Noordhuis, a Dutch national working as a Finance Manger in Qatar, visited the country for the first time. He was with his wife Inge and three sons – Olav (nine), Lars (seven) and Nils (five) – and will visit Negombo, Kandy, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Nuwara Eliya and southern beaches during their 10 day trip here.

The family was overwhelmed with the surprise welcome and gifts given by the Tourism authorities.

Noordhuis stated that Sri Lanka had been recommended by their many friends as a must-visit destination prior to their visit.

Commenting on this special occasion, Kiriella stated: “This is the first time in the history of Sri Lanka tourism that we have surpassed 250,000 arrivals within the span of the first four months of any given year. The closest recall we had before was in year 2006, recording 209,312 tourists within the first four months. We are delighted to achieve this target within a very short period of time, which invariably sends out a positive message to travellers around the world about Sri Lanka and its emergence as a popular travel destination.”

Sri Lanka Tourism offered a special gift and a complimentary package to Noordhuis who arrived yesterday in keeping with its promise of rewarding the 250,000th tourist. Similar rewards will also be available for the 500,000th, 600,000th and 700,000th tourist who will visit Sri Lanka in 2011.

At the beginning of 2011, Sri Lanka Tourism launched its marketing campaign ‘Refreshingly Sri Lanka – Visit 2011,’ with the aim of showcasing Sri Lanka as an island of new found freedom and a place where visitors can experience everything that is refreshing under the sun.

With this new branding, Sri Lanka Tourism hopes to promote eight segments that will encapsulate eight wonderful experiences which a tourist can enjoy within eight days: Pristine, Heritage, Bliss, Thrills, Festivities, Essence, Scenic Beauty and Wildlife.

These eight experiences will be stretched into 12 sub-themes which will be promoted during each month of 2011, symbolising the 12 letters in the ‘Wonder of Asia’. These 12 themes include beaches, sports and adventure, MICE, people and culture, religious tourism, weddings and honeymoons, body and mind wellness, heritage, nature and wildlife, community and education, culinary and shopping and entertainment.

Sri Lanka Tourism’s aim with the campaign is to amalgamate domestic and international markets alike into one cohesive platform to develop these products by the end of the year, promoting Sri Lanka as a destination that can offer refreshing experiences for anyone who visits.

Sri Lanka Tourism’s target is to record 700,000 tourist arrivals to the country by the end of 2011. All promotional activities and events will be planned in the next couple of years with the goal of achieving the target number of 2.5 million tourists by 2016.