Reception on occasion of «MITT 2012» at the Embassy of Sri Lanka
22nd March 2012
On 22nd March 2012, H.E. Udayanga Weeratunga, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Russia invited all Sri Lankan participants, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau officials and tour/travel operators in Russia to partake in special presentation and dinner at the Ambassador’s residence. More than 70 guests participated.
Ambassador opened the reception by lighting traditional oil lamp and delivered a speech, where he informed of the increased tourist arrivals from Russia and Ukraine to Sri Lanka. Number of tourists from Russia increased by 61,1% compared with 12,2% in 2010. From Ukraine, the visible growth of tourism is 117,4%. The year2012 has shown bright prospects for tourism in Sri Lanka. During the first two months almost 170,000 people visited the country. Among them – almost 6,000 tourists from Russia – which is 96% more than last year during these months.
H.E. Weeratunga mentioned about the construction of a second international airport in Mattala and some of the construction projects of new roads and hotels in Sri Lanka.
The Ambassador noted the special role of SriLankan Airlines in the development of tourism in Sri Lanka. SriLankan Airlines flights have become very popular among Russian tourists, and flights occupancy is over 90%. In this regard, SriLankan Airlines in the near future plans to increase the number of flights up to 3-4 per week.
The Ambassador also spoke about the successful implementation of electronic travel authorization to enter Sri Lanka (ETA) and about the activities of the Embassy to promote tourism. In 2011 the Embassy conducted several workshops for agencies, including agencies in the regions of Samara, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The Embassy also organized press tours for the Russian and Ukrainian journalists from various publications, including “ROSSIYA” TV and NTV – the largest and most popular TV channels in Russia.
Highlight of the reception was the presentation of new Tourism Catalog on Sri Lanka, which was prepared by the Ambassador himself, in conjunction with Mr. Rummy Jauffer, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Ms. Anna Korolkova, Director General of SriLankan Airlines in Russia and Mr. Nuwan Ratnayake, Second Secretary of the Embassy.
H.E. Mr. Weeratunga pointed out that this is not simply a Catalog – it can be considered a book, which combines all the information about Sri Lanka, its history, culture, religion, holidays and traditions, cuisine, nature and beaches. The Catalog also provides all necessary information about the largest and the best hotels of the country.
