Tourist Information Counter on board “MS Amsterdam”
“Amsterdam” the flagship of the Holland America Line arrived in Colombo on 21st March 2016. The passenger vessel is on her Grand World Voyage 2016, started from Florida on 5th January 2016 and arrived in Colombo port on 21st March 2016. She had called at Hambanthota Port on 20th March 2016 from the Port Phuket, Thailand before arriving in Colombo. Cruise liner left on 22nd March to her next port, Dubai, UAE.
“Amsterdam” passenger vessel was commissioned in 2000 and currently sailing under the flag of Netherlands. MS Amsterdam has 238m length overall and beam of 32m and a total of 10 decks. MS Amsterdam is the fourth (and last) of the Rotterdam/R-class Holland America ships.
Malship (Ceylon) Limited, was the agent in Sri Lanka for the passenger vessel carrying over 1500 passengers including the crew from US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and Switzerland. Over 670 passengers travelled on excursions to Yala National Park, Bundala, Udawalawe, Mulkirigala, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Kelaniya, Ingiriya and on Colombo City tours. The ground tours were arranged by Abercrombie & Kent.
A mobile Tourist Information Counter was setup by Sri Lanka Tourism on board the cruise liner to assist passengers and to promote main tourist attractions of the country as well as key locations of Colombo for passengers who were keen on short tours of the city. Cruise Tourism is an important niche market for Sri Lanka and this segment has seen a substantial growth over the years.
Traditional Avurudu experience at Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in Colombo
Former miss Great Britain & TV Personality Amy Kitchingman participates at the opening of “Avurudu” table at the TIC Colombo.
The Tourism information Center at the Sri Lanka Tourism head office created a welcoming and a traditional Avurudu experience for the tourists who visited the center. The unique Avurudu experience was created within the TIC premises for all tourists visiting the centre to highlight the importance of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year.
Amy Kitchingman, official presenter for Physique TV’s On The Go, former Miss Great Britain and the new media influencer for the humongous brand Victoria’s Secret sports collection was delighted the light the traditional oil lamp along with Chairman, Managing Director and other officials of SLTPB. Amy Kitchingman is a Dubai-based TV and media personality who is well known for being the endearing TV host for Physique TV’s On The Go, a show that focuses on travelling and restaurant hopping while staying fit and healthy. Amy is the brand ambassador and media influencer for brands such as Victoria Secret Sports, Oakley Eyewear, Hautletic, Puma and Talise Fitness. This Avurudu treat gave Amy a platform to highlight traditional values and rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka to her social media followers.
The event attracted many tourists in the Colombo Area including the travelers on board Colombo City Tour double decker ride. Sri Lanka Tea Board also served tea while sharing more information about the Ceylon tea products with the guests.
"Our aim is to entice tourists to experience something unique and authentic about Sri Lanka while they visit the information center, we believe that this type of activity will spread positive word of mouth" commented Harindra Wijewardena, Assit Director, who oversees the Tourist Information Centres of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
Investment Promotion Forum in Eastern Province
The “ Invest in East” international investment promotion forum is to catalyse foreign direct investment (FDI) in the post-conflict economy of the Eastern province of Sri Lanka poised for an economic take-off from the unlocking of immense untapped opportunities facilitated by a liberalized, efficient, investor- friendly regulatory regime actively supported by both the central and provincial governments.
The event was held at Galadari Hotel, Grand Ball room on 28th January 2016.
The 29th Law Asia Conference 2016
The 29th LAWASIA Conference 2016 was an international legal forum that was brought together 350 – 400 delegates, was provided an invaluable opportunity to share legal research and information and to create and strengthen partnerships amongst the legal community of Asia, the Pacific and beyond.
The 29th LAWASIA conference was in addition, mark the Golden Jubilee Year of LAWASIA. It was hosted by Sri Lanka and was held at Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo from 12th to 15th August 2016.
The conference program was structured to include a wide range of plenary sessions, work sessions, presentations and other activity that was provided participants with ample opportunity to develop their legal knowledge and share their experiences.
Defence Seminar at BMICH 2016
The Defence Seminar was held on 01st and 2nd September 2016 at the BMICH. Theme of this conference is ‘Soft Power and Its Influence on Global Issues ‘. Over 100 delegates have participated from the Asian region for this event. (Bangladesh, china, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal and Vietnam etc.)
Sri Lanka tourism promotion bureau participated at this event in setting up a TIC counter and provided timely and useful information. We were also able to cater the delegates’ needs in their travel itinerary.
World Export Development Forum (WEDF) 2016
The 16th edition of the World Export Development Forum (WEDF) in Colombo, from 12th to 13th October 2016 at the BMICH. Helps businesses to navigate the new trade and development landscape.
WEDF is a unique global conference and business to business (B2B) matchmaking platform dedicated to supporting trade-led development.
As the flagship event of the International Trade Centre (ITC), WEDF brings together over 600 business leaders, policymakers, heads of trade and investment support institutions and international trade development officials to address international competitiveness for developing countries.
