Sri Lanka Tourism is stepping up its efforts to draw more Chinese travellers during the shoulder season, whilst launching the second roadshow in multiple cities in China this week.
A team led by Tourism Minister Harin Fernando along with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu will participate at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF), and conduct a roadshow in multiple cities including Kunming, Beijing and Shanghai.
The Minister told the Daily FT that they will also meet China Southern Airlines top management to resume operations to Sri Lanka.
“We believe in getting more air seat capacity to draw more Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka. I think with the combined effect of pent-up demand, ease of travel restrictions and regular direct flights will be a favourable condition for Sri Lanka during the off-peak season,” he added.
The Minister will also attend the Sri Lankan food festival organised by the Consulate General Office in Shanghai together with Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts.
Last week he announced that the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China – Air China has confirmed the resumption of service to Sri Lanka in July after a three-year hiatus.
He said Air China has committed to operating three flights a week to Sri Lanka, adding that the flight frequency would further be increased in the coming months.
“We are trying to attract all four Chinese airlines to Sri Lanka that operated before the pandemic. SriLankan Airlines and China Eastern have already begun service to Colombo. We hope these efforts will help to boost Chinese arrivals in the coming months,” Fernando said.
China started its flight operations to Sri Lanka via China Eastern Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. It also has plans to further expand the air connectivity between the two countries.
During the visit, the Minister is also planning to meet Government officials, travel agencies and industry stakeholders, as well as TikTok management.
“Meeting with the TikTok officials is to boost Sri Lanka’s Tourism presence on the platform,” he stressed.
Each roadshow in Kunming, Beijing and Shanghai will include B2B sessions facilitating numerous discussions followed by an evening networking event which will also help to improve business partnerships.
It focuses on promoting a myriad of tourism experiences while focusing on converting potential travellers to make bookings and highlighting the positive message that Sri Lanka is open for leisure, business and MICE tourism.
In crisis-free 2018, tourist arrivals from China at 265,965 was the second largest for Sri Lanka. It fell to 167,863 in 2019 owing to the Easter Sunday terror attacks. China also emerged as the world’s top spender on outbound travel worth $ 277 billion in 2018. China included Sri Lanka in a pilot program to resume its outbound tourism by groups from 6 February and on 1 March welcomed the first batch of Chinese tourists for 2023 after a lapse of three years.
It is noteworthy that China has made it to Sri Lanka’s top source markets, despite the slow start due to COVID travel restrictions. In March it got into the top 10 source markets, securing the ninth position and in April it clinched the sixth spot and is now the fifth place. As per the IMF Economic Outlook, countries that are depending on Chinese travellers will benefit from the economic boom in China during this year, as advancement in the region will be led by China with a 5.2% growth rate this year after reopening the economy post-pandemic.
In April, a group of 35 Chinese travel agents and influencers were in Sri Lanka on a week-long familiarisation tour organised by the Sri Lankan Consulate in Shanghai and SriLankan Airlines.
They visited key tourist attractions in Sri Lanka and found the tour highly captivating. The group was hosted for a farewell reception at the Cinnamon Grand attended by the Tourism Minister, Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Shanghai Anura Fernando, SLTPB Chief, and SriLankan Airlines Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution Dimuthu Tennakoon. (ft.lk)
