Saturday, 25 April 2015 00:00
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By Waruni Paranagamage
The fifth edition of ‘Sancharaka Udawa 2015,’ Sri Lanka’s only domestic tourism fair, was inaugurated by Tourism and Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake yesterday at the BMICH.
The event was organised by the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SALITO) together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB).
The exhibition, a platform to showcase Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs working in the tourism industry, is on from 24-25 April.
This platform has helped numerous small-medium venturesto establish themselves within Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and the popularity of the event is touted as a testimony to its success in achieving its objectives...
Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that the Government was looking forward to an influx of two million tourist arrivals by the end of this year.
“We got the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the Promotion Bureau as well as our Hotel School together to exchange ideas and identify issues in tourism industry, therefore I feel very positive and upbeat about the outlook of our tourism industry going forward,”the Minister said.
The Minister further noted that Sri Lanka had enormous potential to grow its tourism industry, while emphasising that the Government’s primary focus had been set to pass on the benefits of tourism to the masses. However he reiterated that the issues facing the industry should be addressed in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Notably, this year’s exhibition willsee the number of stalls increasing to 200 and the number of companies participating hasalso increased significantly comparedto the previous year. Organisers told the Daily FT that they expect over 2, 000 local visitors plus 100 foreign visitors to this year’sexhibition.
Organisers said that often the local market was unaware of what was available to them in their own country while the bigger companies were often unaware of the new products and services available on the tourism circuit. Thus ‘Sancharaka Udawa 2015’ is the place where all these elements come together and business opportunities are explored for the benefit of all.
The exhibition is an ideal opportunity for those interested in the tourism industry, including students, to get a firsthand understanding of the latest developments and trends in the tourism industry, all under one roof.
CDC Events and Travels will serve as the Professional Exhibition Organiser for Sancharaka Udawa 2015.
