Sri Lanka tourism yet showed another aspect of its concern to boost the tourism sector, by participating in the Vakantiebeurs 2017 fair which was held in Netherlands recently. Sri Lanka Tourism is quite familiar with the Dutch market as it has been participating at this fair for over a decade and 11 industry members participated in this year’s delegation from Sri Lanka. The fair was held from Jan 10th to 15th, held in Jaarberus , Utrecht. The opening ceremony of the Sri Lanka stall was held on 10th January in parallel to the lavish and colourful opening ceremony of the fair itself. H.E A.M. J Sadiq, The Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Netherlands graced the occasion, and at the same time added more value to the occasion by the visit of the mayor of Utretcht. Mr . J.H.C Van zenen . He also lighted the traditional oil lamp amidst a distinguished gathering, and was also shown a short promotional video of Sri Lanka followed by refreshments.

The Sri Lanka stand, as usual, showcased its creativity by adding a vibrant, colourful atmosphere, which attracted the visitors and also displayed it’s iconic 8 themes, Pristine, Essence, Heritage, Wild, Thrills, Heritage, Festivals and Bliss. The innovative concept of displaying pictures of these themes made the Dutch visitors get a very positive impression and the positive valuable benefits of Sri Lanka and its natural resources.

By participating at the Vakantiebeurs 2017 fair, the main objective of Sri Lanka Tourism was to showcase Sri Lanka as a desirable and a memorable destination to the Dutch travellers who visit this fair to decide on their future holidays, especially those who like to have some adventure and an amazing experience. Thus, Sri Lanka is the ideal destination to have a variety of amazing experiences – be it cultural, social and historical. The Vakantiebeurs 2017 fair is a travel and tourism fair held yearly in The Netherlands which is also considered the largest fair in the Dutch market.

Further, it also set the stage for interested tourism industry members who participated at the fair with SLTPB to strengthen their partnerships with existing contacts, and find new opportunities with local tour operators and to promote their businesses to interested clients. Ms. Danojani Weerasinghe , JM-Marketing , represented the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau at this event. Thus this important travel exhibition came to a successful end, creating awareness together with a galore of opportunities for Sri Lanka Tourism to enhance the growth of the Market.