Sri Lanka shines at French International Tourism Fair

Seen here is a typical Sri Lankan thatched roof hut, one of the main attractions at the fair, with Sri Lankan cuisine prepared by Sri Lankan chefs employed in Paris.

Sri Lanka charmed thousands of visitors to the 23rd annual International Tourism Fair in Colmar, France with a striking blend of tradition, culture, tea and curry.

The rhythm of Kandyan dances, aroma of mouth-watering spices and reverberations of the loud, but fascinating drum beats kept the top French tour operators and visitors spell bound at the popular fair held last week at the scenic town of Colmar in the eastern France, the Sri Lanka High Commission said.

Sri Lanka received the rare honour of being the host nation of this year’s event organized by the Salon International du Tourisme et des Voyages (SITV) that took place in the picturesque Northern French town of Colmar from October 9 to 11. One of the privileges of being the host nation at Colmar was that the organizers provided an exhibition space covering over 800 square metres to Sri Lanka free of charge and allocated a budget of approximately 200,000 Euros for expenses for Sri Lanka’s participation.

Over 30,000 people – many from Germany, Switzerland and Alsace – visited the 2007 edition of SITV over three days. The Sri Lanka stall included a palm reader, mask-carver, cookery demonstrations and performances by the Channa-Upuli dance troop and students from the Ranga Tharanga Nikethanaya dancing school based in Paris. Deputy Minister of Tourism Faiszer Musthapha and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France Ms Chitranganee Wagiswara were guests of honour at the event.