Conference In Negombo To Attract More MICE Tourists

“SriLankan Holidays & SriLankan MICE Conference 2013”, is to be held on Friday, September 13 at Jetwing Blue, Negombo with the participation of around  150 SriLankan Holidays Franchise Operators (SHFO), SLH Ground Operators (SHGO), MICE Operators and foreign media representatives from all SriLankan online points network wide.

The conference is aimed at promoting tourism into Sri Lanka in keeping with Sri Lanka’s target of 2.5 million tourists by 2016.

Chairman, SriLankan Airlines, Nishantha Wickremasinghe commenting on the event said that, after the end of war, Sri Lanka had become one of the safest countries to explore and a popular family holiday getaway. “The growing number of tourist arrivals is a good indication of the appeal our wildlife, beaches and hospitality have on them.

“As the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines is also actively involved in the expansion of Sri Lanka’s MICE industry at a time when the country is increasingly receiving global attention. Thus Sri Lanka’s transformation from a typical holiday getaway to an important MICE destination sought after by the international event-planners can bring in dividends in time to come,” said Nishantha.

The conference will educate the attendees on MICE services provided by the airline, various products and services of SriLankan Holidays, and the outstanding characteristics that make SriLankan the ideal airline for both business and leisure travellers.

Srilankan Airlines, Head of Worldwide Sales, Lal Perera said, “Through the conference, we are hoping to enlighten the participants on our products and services while educating them on the effective methods of promoting Sri Lanka as a MICE and holiday destination. We are hopeful that through raising awareness we will be able to increase the number of leisure and MICE tourists to Sri Lanka and beyond, with SriLankan as the preferred carrier.” The day-long programme includes speeches by Chairman Jetwing, Hiran Cooray and General Manager, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Vipula Wanigasekera. There will also be presentations, workshops, and one-to-one meetings during which the local tour operators and delegates will have the opportunity to share knowledge and interact with each other.

There will also be post conference tours to Negombo and Galle for the foreign media representatives where they will be given a chance to experience Sri Lanka’s natural beauty first-hand.

[Via The Sunday Leader ]