Second Ambassadors signature tour to Sri Lanka was unveiled at Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington recently.
A large group of US travel enthusiasts were hosted to a dinner reception at the Sri Lanka Residence in Washington by Ambassador Jaliya Wickremasuriya to announce the exclusive ten day tour package.
The tour is being organized for the second time as part of the embassy’s dynamic country promotional campaign and around 50 US tourists are expected to join this exclusive tour package, at their own expense.
The initiative is expected to provide a window of opportunity for the Sri Lankan travel industry to enter into the US market which has shown a steady growth in every year since 2009. “As a country empowered by a renewed commitment to peace, reconciliation and prosperity, Sri Lanka is the land where twenty one million smiles will welcome you to experience its wonders”, said Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriy welcoming the guests.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya thanked the International Club of DC for partnering with the Embassy to organize the trip and commended its effort to promote understanding of different cultures. President of the International Club of DC Sanjaya Hettihewa in his remarks mentioned that his organization now in its 10th year is working with over 70 Embassies in Washington DC to create international cultural experiences for the professionals in Washington.
“If you join us in December, it’s going to be a very special opportunity for you to experience a country in a way you will never get otherwise”, he added.
The United States is among the top 10 sources of origin of tourists to Sri Lanka. Over 30, 000 US tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2012 marking a 25% increase compared to 2011. The Embassy’s country promotional program targets to achieve 45,000 tourist arrivals from the US by 2015 and approximately 100, 000 arrivals by 2017, the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington stated.