Raid Amazones returns to Sri Lanka for third adventure; first major event since pandemic

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga (third from left) addressing the media during the Raid Amazones 2022 Press Conference yesterday in Colombo. From left: SriLankan Airlines Acting CEO/Chief Commercial Officer Richard Nuttall, France to Sri Lanka and Maldives Ambassador Eric Lavertu, SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage, Tourism Ministry Secretary 

S. Hettiarachchi, ZBO Chairman Alexandre Debanne and Connaissance De Ceylan and Theme Resorts and Spas Chairman Chandra Wickramasinghe 

By Darshana Abayasingha 

SriLankan Airlines chose International Women’s Day to announce its partnership with Raid Amazones 2022 as its official Airline and sponsor. 

Raid Amazones is an annual adventure trail originating from France that features female athletes competing in numerous challenges including riding, running, orienteering, mountain biking, canoeing, archery and others. 

This is Raid Amazones third visit to the country, and this year’s event will take place at Sigiriya in two groups of over 250 each due to a record number of participants. The first leg takes place from 14 March over nine days and the second leg will commence on 28 . Raid Amazones will invest up to EUR 500,000 in Sri Lanka for this event, and over Rs. 3 billion worth of advertising visibility is estimated for the destination across Europe through this partnership. SriLankan Airlines noted that this would be one of the biggest marketing campaigns to position Sri Lanka. 

Raid Amazones will be the largest such event Sri Lanka will host in what is considered the post-pandemic era, and is a great opportunity to showcase that the country is ready to entertain guests and events of this nature. 

The organisers have lined up several stunning areas to create an attractive backdrop to the events. Over 600 visitors will come to Sri Lanka for the event, and over 100 participants will bring their families and stay longer after the event, which will contribute further towards tourism in Sri Lanka.

Addressing the launch event, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, said events such as Raid Amazones shows the confidence in the destination and sends a strong message that Sri Lanka is safe and ready to welcome tourists and help accelerate the tourism recovery in the country. The Ministry and industry is looking to build Sri Lankan tourism to a much higher level than it was in pre-pandemic times, he said. 

As its official Airline Partner, SriLankan has adorned an aircraft with customised Raid Amazones livery highlighting Sigiriya, with many participants due to fly on the special aircraft. This is aimed to promote Sri Lanka as an adventure destination to the wider global audience. The airline has introduced flights to new destinations to revitalise the tourism industry, and Paris is included on that list.