A French Media Crew from the French TV channel ‘’ Eclectic Presse’’, in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Embassy in France, arrived in Sri Lanka recently to give a full coverage on the island nation’s beauty and cultural aspects, for the travel programme , ‘’ Sri Lanka Le Nouvel Eldorado’’( Sri Lanka the new El Dorado’’) which is a documentary programme based on the beauty of Sri Lanka , and also the lifestyles of the French settled in the country. They filmed the key attractions of the country till the 26th of February. On their arrival they paid a visit to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and met the chairman, Mr. Paddy Withana, to discuss about their intention of promoting Sri Lanka’s natural wonders and promoting the paradise island as an attractive tourist destination. During their stay they filmed the beautiful beaches and landscapes, Regata at Weligama bay, Shipyard School with Children, Knuckles mountain range and conduct a few short interviews with some of the French and local nationals who live in Sri Lanka. Those were some of the key areas which they focused on.

Eclectic Presse is a media channel which provides documentaries for all mainstream TV channels such as Canal Plus, Arte, France Television and TF1. Therefore, it targets a very large audience. This of course will be a great opportunity to showcase Sri Lanka as a remarkable tourist destination to the rest of the world, blessed with all the natural and cultural resources, with everything compact and a large diversity. It will also be a great chance to strengthen the cultural and bilateral ties between the two countries, enabling a strong partnership. The interviews they held with the French nationals living here will be an interesting part of the documentary with all their positive remarks of the country and how they enjoy living in Sri Lanka. They have established themselves here to start independent businesses of their own, and enjoy the relaxed lifestyle. On this documentary they express how they feel it to be here. They express how relaxing they find it here, and how different it is from the busy and hectic lifestyle of Europe.

During their stay, accommodation was provided by Atyque Lanka. International media crews as these visiting Sri Lanka will mean a bigger boost for the tourism sector, since the country will be promoted as a preferable holiday destination through international media. According to the documentary, every year, 80,000 French tourists visit Sri Lanka. Each year, the number of arrivals increase. In 2016, tourist arrivals from France were recorded as 96,440, which was an 12% increase compared to the same period in the year 2015.