Lankan delegation to participate in Arabian Travel Market

The Sri Lanka delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Tourism, Faiszer Musthapha will participate in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2008) which will be held at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre Dubai from May 6-9.

The theme of the Sri Lankan stall this year will be ‘Ceylon Tea’. The stall will also display gems and jewellery while there will be demonstrations on making handicrafts. The highlight at the venue will be a performance by Channa Wijewardena’s dance troupe.

The ATM is the industry’s leading travel and tourism exhibition dedicated to unlocking business potential within the Middle Eastern and Pan Arab regions.

Sri Lanka Tourism which is attending the event for the fifth consecutive year, will participate in meetings, seminars, press conferences and use social networking opportunities along with key market players from six continents.

A tactical promotional offer “Middle East Kids Go Free”, by SriLankan Airlines, for every adult ticket purchased, one child being offered a free ticket, will also be launched.

Having seen the potential of the market, Sri Lanka Tourism will open the Tourism Promotion Office in Dubai next month with an officer-in-charge for the Middle East region.

At the beginning of this year, Sri Lanka Tourism tied up with the Al Jazeera TV channel to promote the destination. The number of outbound tourists from the Middle East region has increased during the past few years.

The highest performer between January and March this year was the Middle East, which registered an increase of 80.6% compared to 2007.

Of the 294.6% growth from the region in March this year, Iranian tourists formed the major portion with 1,300 arrivals during the month. These arrivals were the result of the operation of nine charter flights supported by Sri Lanka Tourism.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Arabian Travel Market 2008 is expected to attract over 23,449 industry players from over 100 countries.