Sri Lanka Tourism to launch inaugural roadshow in Australia

• First-ever roadshow covers Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne from 19-25 March
• Tourism Minister Harin Fernando leads delegation with key SLTPB officials and 30 firms
• SLTPB Chief Chalaka Gajabahu highlights strategic approach tailored to Australian travel and booking trends

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando

SLTPB Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu

By Charumini de Silva

Sri Lanka Tourism will embark on first-ever roadshow in Australia this month, focusing on three key cities to promote the island nation as an attractive travel destination.

The roadshow will be held from 19-25 March, targeting Brisbane (19), Sydney (21) and Melbourne (25) to promote Sri Lanka’s myriad of tourism offerings. 

The delegation will be led by the Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, along with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu, SLTPB Director Dushan Wickramasuriya with over 30 local travel agencies, DMCs and hotels participating in the roadshow.

“This is our inaugural roadshow series in Australia. Our goal is to fully capitalise on this occasion and strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two nations,” Tourism Minister Harin Fernando told the Daily FT.

Australia is identified as an emerging key source market for Sri Lanka. In 2023, Australia secured the sixth biggest source market including 67,436 tourists (5%) of 1.48 million total arrivals. As of 27 February, a total of 12,441 visitors arrived in the country.

The multi-city roadshow will include B2B sessions facilitating discussions followed by an evening networking event which will also help to improve business partnerships. The focus also evolves on promoting a myriad of tourism experiences to encourage forward bookings by potential travellers.

“We want to highlight the positive message that Sri Lanka is open for leisure, business and MICE tourism. Australia stands as a lucrative market for Sri Lanka Tourism. Through collaborative efforts we want to lure a greater influx of Australian travellers,” Minister Fernando added.

SLTPB Chairman Gajabahu outlined the promotion is rolled out through a strategic approach tailored to the booking patterns of the market. 

“Our strategy entails a customised rollout tailored to the travel and booking trends observed in our primary markets. Australians tend to travel most during the middle of the year and our efforts are centred on tapping into this market during our shoulder period,” he added. 

Gajabahu also said the Australian roadshow will be a great opportunity to highlight the unique attractions and experiences Sri Lanka has to offer. “The objective is to maximise the impact to ensure gradual and structured expansion of reach,” he explained.