COLOMBO : The Sri Lanka Embassy in Riyadh, as part of its Economic Diplomacy Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, organized a Tourism Promotional Event on Wednesday December 13, at the embassy premises. The event witnessed the active participation of numerous tour operators, media representatives, and social media influencers.
A comprehensive presentation on Sri Lanka’s tourist attractions, delivered in both Arabic and English, highlighted various aspects of Sri Lanka including culture, wild life, nature, adventure, cuisine Trail of Ibn Battuta and Adams Peak. Presentation covered the launch of “Ahlan Sri Lanka” Arabic language website of the mission dedicated for Sri Lankan tourism promotion among Arab speakers. One notable feature of the promotional event was the exploration of historical connections between the 13th-century traveler IBN Battuta and Sri Lanka. The event marked the official launch of the IBN Battuta Trail travel package, which includes Adam’s Peak and is introduced through collaboration between the Sri Lankan airline and Walkers Tours.
During the event, Ambassador PM Amza expressed appreciation for the growing interest among Saudi travelers to visit Sri Lanka, often referred to as Jannathul Davla (paradise on earth) by Saudis. He noted that Arabs were the pioneers in promoting Sri Lanka tourism, having named the country “serendip” during their travels along the ancient silk route, a term later integrated into the English vocabulary as “serendipity” in the 18th century.
A panel discussion, moderated by Minister and Head of Chancery Mr. NMM. Anas, comprising Thusitha Wickramasinghe, Country Manager, Sri Lankan Airlines, Salmaan Hugue, Senior Marketing Manager, Walkers Tours Pvt Ltd and Mr. Chinthaka Bandara, Director ( Travel, Trade, Marketing and Aviation), AVIAREPS was also held and the team engaged in addressing questions from the audience.
Attendees were served to tea grown in seven regions of Sri Lanka at a dedicated tea hut during the event. The program concluded with the serving of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine.
