Sri Lanka eyes to attract high-end tourists with upcoming ‘Galle Concerto 2024’

Edward Robinson- Southern Book Fair, Chanchala Gunewardena - Matara Festival for the Arts, Champika De Silva - Opera at the Anantara, Niranjan Deva Aditya - Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu - Rhythms of Paradise, Nilupul Gunawardena, and Tracy Holsinger - Gourmet Galle & amp; Galle Literary Festival
- Pic by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe 

• SLTPB says event placed strategically in the peak season to compete with other regional festivals such as Jaipur Literature Festival

By  Nishel Fernando

Sri Lanka is eyeing to attract high-end tourists to the Southern Coast  with upcoming ‘Galle Concerto 2024’ series featuring  six vibrant festivals in art, food, literature, and music in this peak winter season.

“Out of our (2029)  target of 5 million tourists, we want to attract 2.5 high-end tourists spending US$ 500 as opposed to (tourists)  spending US$ 180-200,” Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu said.

He was speaking at the official event organised to announce Galle Concerto 2024 - the Southern Festivals, and its Handbook in Colombo this week.

Gajabahu outlined that events such as this provide much needed impetus for Sri Lanka to attract high-end tourists while re-positioning the destination.

He noted that ‘Galle Concerto 2024’ is strategically scheduled in the peak season in order to gain traction among tourists and compete with other regional festivals such as the Jaipur Literature Festival with a wider offering.

Given the record tourist arrivals seen during the first half of this month, he was also upbeat on tourist arrivals reaching 2.5 million above the targeted 2.3 million tourist arrivals for this year.

The  ‘Galle Concerto 2024’, consisting of six vibrant independently led ‘Concerto’ of events  would be largest promotion of Sri Lanka’s music, culture, art and food ever undertaken, reaching out to a global audience, marketed throughout South Asia and the world.

Presidential Envoy and former member of European Parliament, Niranjan Deva Aditya highlighted that these chain of festivals would send a clear message to the world on Sri Lanka’s resurgence from multiple crises.

“These events show that Sri Lanka is resurgent once again, a beacon of confidence in her cultural, musical, literary and culinary excellence. The President worked tirelessly over past year to bring about this renaissance to showcase that Sri Lanka, in all her resplendence, is back on the world stage,” he said.

The Events

The Concerto comprises of the Rhythms of Paradise drum festival in Koggala (12th - 14th January), the Gourmet Galle Food Festival (12th January – 30th March), the Classical Music Event in Tangalle (19th -21st January), the Southern Book Fair in Galle (19th - 28th January), the Galle Literary Festival (25th -28th January), and the Matara Festival for the Arts (1st - 4th February).