Presentation of the English version of the 296-page Tourist Guide Book
08 January, 2014
Presentation the English version of the 296-page Tourist Guide Book, compiled by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation was launched by His Excellency Udayanga Weeratunga, ambassador of Sri Lanka in Russia, on Wednesday, January 8. The comprehensive publication was first published in Russia in 2012 for the use of Russian tour operators as well as for the numerous Road Shows undertaken by the embassy in the CIS region. It was used in a series of promotional campaigns to market Sri Lanka as the preferred tourism destination among Russians travelers last year. Close to 20,000 booklets were distributed during each road show conducted in Russia in 2013.
Launching the book, copies were handed over to Mr. Bhaswara Gunarathna, Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman; Mr. Rumy Jauffer, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB); Sri Lanka Tourism Director General Dr. D. S. Jayaweera; Mr. Chandra Wicremasinghe, Board Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority; Mr. Jayantissa Kehelpannala, President, Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Mr. Mervyn Fernandopulle, SLTPB Board Member and several other industry stakeholders.
The book will soon be translated into Mandarin to be used in the industry’s effort to expand into China and open up the country for a larger number of Chinese tourists. A pdf version of the copy will also soon be available online on the Sri Lanka Tourism website.Commenting on their efforts to attract more Russian tourists to Sri Lanka, ambassador Udayanga said that over 60,000 Russians arrived in Sri Lanka last year and of them almost 99 per cent were tourists. “In 2005, the number was a mere 4,256,” he noted.
Thanking Mr. Bhaswara Gunarathna, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, he noted that years ago, around 2006, he had come up with a number of proposals to develop tourism in Sri Lanka by getting more travelers from Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries. However, the authorities at that time were lethargic and showed little interest. Even the minimum amount required for the program was not received. Had there been some support from the authorities here, a lot more Russian tourists would have arrived here, HE Udayanga Weeratunga said.
