Over 30,000 visit Sri Lanka Pavilion at Expo Milano
15 Jun 2015 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka Pavillion at Expo Milano has attracted over 30,000 visitors in the first month, said Pavilion Director Dammika Jayawardena.
The Sri Lanka Pavilion is the only stall that has showcased a trade theme whilst most country stalls at Expo 2015 are on ‘feeding the world’.
Sri Lanka put together the stall in partnership with Sri Lanka Tea Board, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, National Gem and Jewellery Association, Sri Lankan Airlines, National Craft Council and the Board of Investments (BOI), said Commissioner General for Expo 2015 for Sri Lanka, Rohantha Athukorala. “We as a nation need to be patriotic and support the country even though we do not have the infrastructure and finance to support a US$ 20 million budget,” said Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Rohantha Athukorala.
EDB CEO and Chairman Bandula Egodage said, “We are doing this for the country and not just for each of our own institutions. This is a nation brand building drive, and I was fortunate to have visited the Sri Lanka Pavilion and get endorsement of “Sri Lanka, ethical sourcing destination”. Expo Milano 2015 will be a platform for global reach, particularly to re-establish and strengthen bilateral relationships with the West, in the context of EU region accounting for over 31 percent of export revenue for Sri Lanka,” added Egodage.
