Mumbai Indians ‘get Sri-Lankan’ed’ in latest tourism campaign

Cheranka Mendis reporting from Mumbai

The colourful side of the sunny island was conveyed to the population of the fourth largest city in India and the nation’s financial hub, Mumbai over the weekend, with the latest campaign by Sri Lanka Tourism urging the populace to ‘Get Srilankan’ed’ by getting ‘lucky, groovy, stuffed, lazy, pampered, wild, exploring and climbing’.

Following in the footsteps of the successful mega campaign in Bangalore in February this year, the Mumbai promotion, part of a series of campaigns to promote Sri Lanka in the country’s closest neighbour, ‘Get Srilankan’ed’ kicked off with a three-day promotional campaign last Friday evening at the Phoenix Mall, followed by a Sri Lankan evening at Taj Land hotel on Friday night, B2B meetings on Saturday and a Travel and Investment Forum yesterday.

Launching the campaign at the mall located in Lowe Parel, Mumbai amidst a large gathering of Indians who were keen to visit the stalls by a number of local companies such as Prasanna Batiks, Avirate, Spa Ceylon, Siddhalepa, Trends, Dilmah, Noritake, Dankotuwa, NIBM, Laksala, Gems and jewellery, and a cultural stall by the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Indians also got a chance to win exciting gift vouchers from the Hilton and return air tickets courtesy of SriLankan Airlines by answering simple questions about the country.

As they enjoyed relaxing foot massages from Spa Ceylon and Siddhalepa and sipped on steaming cups of Ceylon Tea, Indian cricket fans also received the opportunity to interact with Sri Lankan cricketing stars Sanath Jayasuriya, Angelo Mathews and Ajanatha Mendis at the launch. The cricketers encouraged them to visit Sri Lanka, relax on the peaceful beaches down south and enjoy the Lankan delicacies.

The Sri Lankan Night, which started after hours of delay, showcased the vibrancy of the culture with dances presenting the varied forms of local dance under different geographical locations of the country. Keeping the jovial tone of the evening going, popular Indian actress Suchithra Pillai conducted a version of ‘Kofee with Karan’ with the three cricketers and made Jayasuriya dance on stage while the other two sang their favourite Sri Lankan and Hindi songs.

Taking on a more serious note, some 126 local companies engaged in travel and tourism participated at the B2B meetings which were held at the Taj Land hotel on Saturday. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion expected over 150 Indian travel and trade representatives.

Speaking at the meeting, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Rumy Jauffer noted that Mumbai was an important city for Sri Lanka as it brings in the most number of tourists from India. Rated as No. 1 in Lonely Planet in places to visit in 2013 backed by a large number of endorsements by a variety of publications in the recent past, Sri Lanka is a must-visit destination as “every kilometre in the country offers a new attraction,” Jauffer said.

“International chains such as OZO, Sheraton, Movenpick, Hyatt, Marriott and Shangri-La have moved in already, seeing the opportunities the country offers. More airlines have marked Sri Lanka as a destination to fly to with airlines such as Korean Air, British Airways, and Turkish Airlines establishing themselves in the country,” he noted. “What better time for Indians to move in and enjoy the benefits we offer?”

The travel and investment forum was held yesterday with the participation of key executives from Government and private sector organisations from India and Sri Lanka.