Sri Lanka “Most Popular Destination” at Guangzhou Fair
View(s):Sri Lanka bagged the “Most Popular Destination” award at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) this year in the same month when Chinese travellers were highest to the island. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in collaboration with the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou participated at GITF – 2016 from February 25 to 27 at the China Import and Export International Exhibition Centre, China, a media release issued by the SLTPB said.
Sri Lanka pavilion at the Guanzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) in China
The Travel Fair attracted 956 exhibitors from 45 countries and Sri Lanka was the official partnering country of GITF 2016 under the theme “one island thousand treasures,” the release said. The GITF award was a major boost to the island’s image and also a clear message that Sri Lanka is positively considered as a great tourist destination for Chinese travellers, it said.
It was stated that 30 Sri Lankan travel companies participated at the fair and the cultural dance troupe from Sri Lanka Army performed on the opening night of the fair. The travel agents established links with key Chinese travel agents through two road shows in Guangzhou and in Xiamen city in Fujian province. The road shows were arranged by SLTPB with the support of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou, the release said.
As a result of the ongoing promotional efforts, Sri Lanka envisages continuous growth in this market. In the two months of January and February 2016 alone the Chinese tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka was at 58,269, which was a 49 per cent increase over the same period last year. In the month of February 2016, China recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals to the country, it was noted.