Sri Lanka set to tap Indian MICE traffic

The first phase of Sri Lanka’s ambitious campaign to lure Indian business tourists to the island has been successfully concluded with five leading Indian corporates preparing to hold their conferences here, according to Prema Cooray, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB).

“This was the major outcome of the promotion mission undertaken by SLCB in association with SriLankan Airlines, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces in Southern Indian cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad. This is the first phase of the programme; next month we will be in New Delhi and Mumbai, and finally in Chennai,” Cooray said.

After a successful promotion of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism in these two cities, the 40-member Sri Lankan delegation, led by Cooray who returned to the Island recently said that the objective of the campaign that entailed road shows, a sales blitz, media interaction and presentations to Indian Chambers to create awareness of the business facilities in Sri Lanka amongst Indian Corporates and Travel Agents and induce them to take advantage of the special offer that would be launched during the promotion has been fulfilled . The size of the Indian outbound MICE market is expected to be over 800,000 of the 9 million outbound traffic by 2008. “We hope to capture at least 10 percent of this market,” Cooray said. He told a news conference that “the Sri Lankan delegation had been able to establish contacts with their Indian counterparts and corporates and conduct business activities successfully”.

The 40 member promotion team included many industry leaders like Hiran Cooray, Afghar Mohideen, Vasantha Leelananda, Abbas Esufally, Bobby Hansen, Roshan Gurusinge and Nalin Jayasundera.

Around 6I, 000 Indian travellers visited Sri Lanka during the first seven months of this year, officials said. According to Central Bank figures, revenue from Sri Lanka’s tourism industry fell by 14.8 percent to US$130.8 million from January to April compared to the same period last year. Tourist arrivals fell 23.7 percent in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period in 2006 due to the war in the north and East.