300 Chinese travel agents to visit Lanka

Friday, 20 September 2013 02:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Move to boost target of 250,000 Chinese tourists by 2016

China has promised to send 300 tour operators to Sri Lanka on a familiarisation tour, Sri Lanka Tourism said yesterday. It said this assurance was given by Song Yu, the Vice Chairman of Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, when he held a meeting with the Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Bhashwara Gunarathna in Beijing recently.

The duo met recently when Gunarathna was in China to attend the ‘Sri Lanka Shines in Beijing’ joint mega promotional campaign carried out by the SLTPB. Song Yu also assured to provide his fullest support to promote Sri Lanka in China, as he believes the island is an ideal destination for holiday loving Chinese travellers. Sri Lanka Tourism is already making arrangements to bring down this delegation. Such familiarisation tours are expected to boost Sri Lanka’s effort of attracting 250,000 tourists by 2016. Sri Lanka tourism, which has identified the growing tendency of Chinese to travel overseas, has conducted a series of promotional campaigns during coming years, targeting those potential visitors. The intended promotional program to woo Chinese tourists has the backing and leadership of Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa.