16 July 2019 12:08 am Views - 1132
Australian travel and tour operators at Bandaranaike International Airport welcomed by SLTPB Tourist Information Centre officers including SLTPB Assistant Director Chami Lanka Gasnawage and SLTPB officer-in-charge of Australian market
At Sigiriya
A team of 18 Australian travel and tour operators arrived in Sri Lanka on a 10-day familiarisation tour hosted by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB).
Tourist arrivals from Australia have shown a steady increase in recent months and it is envisioned that the familiarisation tour would capitalise on this wave of interest. Over 4000 tourists had arrived from Australia to Sri Lanka, mostly by air, during June this year.
The tour operators prior to the familiarisation tour had cited that tourists from Australia were particularly interested in the cultural triangle, beaches down south and exploring both Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.
This customised tour will take the 18 tour agents on a 10-day tour covering Negombo, Habrana, Trincomalee, Kandy, Dambulla, Mirissa and Ahungalle and return to Colombo before their departure.
They visited Sigiriya and the Dambulla cave temple, Koneswaram temple and Marble beach and will be heading to Riverston with many more in the
itinerary line-up.
On the day of their departure, they will proceed to the Colombo airport and prior to their departure, they will have a business-to-business meeting with the Sri Lankan travel trade.
The tourists were much impressed with the culture and beauty of Sri Lanka and were curious to know more about the destination. When inquired on what was their impression regarding Sri Lanka, the travel agents had positive feedback to give on their experience.
“We’re really happy to be here and we had a wonderful experience by exploring all these historical sites, exquisite beaches and wildlife parks. Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for the traveller. There’s so much to see and explore,” said one Australian tourist who came from Melbourne.
The travel agents were really thankful to the SLTPB for providing the opportunity to explore a beautiful destination and also giving a chance to spread the message that Sri Lanka is a safe and an interesting destination to travel.