Sri Lanka tourism enters a new era in France

Sri Lanka was the buzzword on everyone's lips at the recently concluded edition of the IFTM (International French Travel Market) - Top Resa, the leading French tourism trade fair, took place from September, 22-25, in Paris. The Sri Lanka tourism booth, occupied by Sri Lankan Airlines and 18 receptive agencies and hoteliers from Sri Lanka, was a hive of activity with the Sri Lankan officials, rapidly developing new business contacts and projects with French tourism stakeholders.

Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said - The great confidence and positive buzz on Sri Lanka is particularly remarkable in France. During Top Resa, we have met several Tour Operators, amongst whom a handful of major key players withdrawn from the destination and who are now resuming operations on Sri Lanka. The market is very reactive and ready to get involved. We are expecting massive evolutions from the French market. Post-conflict, the French market has yielded a positive and continuous upward trend in tourist arrival figures. A 108 percent increase was registered for the month of August alone in comparison to August 2008 and a 55 percent leap from January to August 2009, in comparison to the same period during the previous year.

Taking this into account, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is launching an aggressive marketing and communication campaign from November 2010 targeting the French consumers. A 360 degree plan including cinema, TV, taxi campaigns and online communications. Simultaneously, a tactical campaign with Tour Operators is also engaged to promote offers and encourage sales, in parallel to the institutional promotions. Danny Schepers, Managing Director of SriLankan Airlines in France, concludes. We have concretized new contracts with Tour Operators who had been absent from the market for several years.

They will now feature Sri Lanka giving the country considerable exposure. Some Tour Operators wish to showcase Sri Lanka as destination of the year. We are confident that 2010 will be the year for the country and for SriLankan Airlines. It is now high time to seriously reconsider Paris - Colombo nonstop flights.