French travel congress in Colombo

Sri Lanka has given top priority to the JEV Congress to be held in Colombo from October 31 to November 4, Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga said in Paris, France last week.

Minister Amaratunga was the chief guest at the opening of the Sri Lanka Pavilion at the Top Résa Méga Tourist Fair in Paris. Sri Lanka's Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Tilak Ranaviraja and Advisor to the Minister, Felix Rodrigo were also present.

Les Journées des Entrepreneurs du Voyages (JEV) formally known as SNAV represents over 1,400 tourism enterprises in France, generating over € 24 billion in annual turnover.

The JEV Congress is an annual event held in a top tourism destination where over 500 people, a majority of them being Outbound Travel Agents in France, attend the Congress. France while being a traditional primary market for Sri Lanka Tourism also produces the highest number of Incentive Travellers from Europe

"It is indeed an honour for us to host the JEV Congress in Sri Lanka at a time when our tourism industry is flourishing. France has been a traditional source market for Sri Lanka and significantly enough French arrivals have increased by around 13 per cent so far this year and we are certain that with the winter season and the JEV Congress still ahead, this number will double in the future," said Minister Amaratunga addressing a group of 150 travel agents at a pre-promotional event in France.

The event was organized by Sri Lanka Tourism on the sidelines of the IFTM 2016 Travel Fair in Paris. Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism, Paddy Withana was also present. Minister Amaratunga emphasized that in today's volatile world, Sri Lanka stood out as one of the safest places for both business and leisure.

"The primary ingredient for a blissful holiday is safety and Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the world that can offer this today. In addition the government has offered a range of incentives for investors in the leisure sector making the country stand out as an attractive destination for investment," the Minister said.

The Government, the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau with all private sector tourism stakeholders will showcase Sri Lanka's tourism products and services to the French market through the JEV Congress.

"We are particularly interested in promoting Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions popularly referred to as the MICE sector, and the delegates attending the JEV Congress in Sri Lanka will have an opportunity to see for themselves what the country has to offer," Minister Amaratunga said.

The Tourism Minister also outlined plans about Sri Lanka's own travel fair which is to be held in Colombo next year.

"Today, the MICE sector accounts for around 12% of tourist arrivals to the country but we are keen to grow this segment capitalizing on the vast potential that Sri Lanka offers MICE tourists. Sri Lanka hopes to hold a travel fair 'Gateway to South Asia' in Colombo in May next year. As a government driven initiative with private sector participation, we anticipate your support for this venture," the Minister said.