Cinnamon TBC asia: mega destination promotion initiative with national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines

Mr. Saminda Perera- General Manager, Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines officially declares continued partnership for Cinnamon TBC asia as official airline partner  with Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, together with the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines,is proud to present Cinnamon TBC asia 2016 from 2-7 June 2016; a mega destinationevent that brings together 60 of the world’s best travel bloggers to Sri Lanka in a global conference that will explore and evaluate the impact of travel blogging in the global tourism industry today.

Krishan Balendra, President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts commented “Travel blogging is one of the most essential and undervalued components in marketing Sri Lanka’s tourism sector. It is in fact a necessary tool for the industry because the craft of travel writing and blogging encourages others to travel, more so than an advertisement or other forms of traditional media. It is also a far more personal way to reach audiences. Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is the ideal platform for all travel and hospitality professionals to engage with top bloggers from around the world to be better involved in this digital revolution.” 

The three main entities of Cinnamon TBCasia 2016, namely Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, SriLankan airlines and Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) officially declare the partnership for the event in June 2016.
 
Standing L-R
Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Matt Gibson- President, Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA)
Mr. Saminda Perera- General Manager, Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines

Blogging has also become a powerful tool in influencing consumer decisions and creating a strong appeal for any business or company in the current travel sphere. By the means of international exposure by sponsors and international media, Sri Lanka can greatly benefit from activities such as the Cinnamon TBCasia that garner mileage on online and digital space whilst reaching massive global audiences in a very short span of time.

The top travel bloggers visiting Sri Lanka will be hosted by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts on a pre-conference tour of the country, which will be followed by the full day conference on 7th June 2016. The tour is organized with four unique itineraries for the bloggers to explore all popular tourist locations in the island.Apart from hosting an incredible group of bloggers, Cinnamon TBCasiawillalso welcome many industry experts and social media gurus to speak at the conference. The eminent panel of speakers include Chuck Thompson Producer, CNN Digital; representative ofNatGeo; Dr. Mathew Macdougall, Founder and CEO of Digital Jungle, expert in Chinese marketing & social media; Evo Terra-Digital Strategist; Ryan Bonicci, Marketing Director of the Hubspot APAC; Laurence Norah , Past President of Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA); Halona Padiachy, Director of International Partnerships at Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA); Jens Thraenhart, Founder - Dragon Trail;Henry Barchet, Radio Journalist; Dave & Deb, The Planet D,a top travel blog with the tremendous global reach.

Standing L-R

Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Matt Gibson- President, Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA)
Mr. Saminda Perera- General Manager, Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines
Mr. Paddy Withana – Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)

Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 would not be possible without the support of SriLankan airlines; thereby, Chairman of SriLankan airlines, Ajith Dias stated, “We are pleased to be flying in such a prestigious panel of speakers and travel bloggers into Sri Lanka, helping them engage with all that the island has to offer. The insights they will share with us during the conference will be invaluable to everyone in the tourism industry of Sri Lanka”

This global event provides a golden opportunity fortravel and hospitality industry professionals in Sri Lankawith the ideal platform to connect with award winning travel bloggers through a one day conference. The initiative will create a speed networking space for companies to meet and tie up with bloggers, helping businesses growsuccessfullyat the pace of online media.The content rich event will consist of a variety of discussions which are designed to inspire and to provide key insights into a rapidly evolving tourism and hospitality industry: Developing corporate content and how Bloggers can help, The use of virtual 360 in the travel industry, Experiential storytelling: communicating experiences and authenticity in the digital world, to name a few. Refer www.tbcasia.com for registrations and further information.

Partners of Cinnamon TBCasia 2016

Standing L-R
Ms. Kanchana Abeywickrama- Associate Operations Officer at International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Matt Gibson- President, Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA)
Mr. Saminda Perera- General Manager, Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines
Mr. Paddy Withana – Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)
Ms. Ruvini Dias Bandaranayake- Managing Director at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB)
Mr. Isuru Dissanayake - General Manager - Product Marketing at Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel
Mr. Vasantha Leelananda, Executive Vice President, Head – Destination Management Sector, John Keells Group.

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts initiated Asia’s first ever travel blogger conference in 2014; followed by its success, Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 has evolved into a significant event with its novel element of an award ceremony. With all of the above in store Cinnamon TBCasia2016 is a much awaited event amongst travel bloggers from around the world as well as travel and hospitality industry professionals. 

Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and SriLankan airlines in association with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) and supported by event partners: 

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), TravelClick, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Four BGB, CVisit, Reap Digital and Mobitel

Members of the Head Table
 
Seated L-R
Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts
Mr. Matt Gibson- President, Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA)
Mr. Paddy Withana – Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)

Mr. Krishan Balendra- President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts addressing the gathering.

Mr. Matt Gibson- President, Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) addressing the gathering.

Mr. Paddy Withana – Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)
addressing the gathering.