RUZAIK FAROOK
COLOMBO – The Sri Lanka – Canada Business Council (SLCBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently Convened a round table discussion to initiate the promotion of Sri Lanka as a premier travel destination in Canada at Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Colombo
Titled ‘Canada’s Tourism Readiness and Promotion of Sri Lanka’, the event was attended by key government and private sector industry stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Priantha Fernando, Executive Director – Investment Promotion, Board of Investment Prasanjith Wijeyatilake, and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, together with representatives of key industry associations including the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators, and Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka.
The event focused on leveraging emerging opportunities in tourism as well as several other sectors. The SLCBC’s efforts in these areas include connecting facilitating investment opportunities in education and training in Sri Lanka’s booming tourist industry, as well as actively engaging with relevant authorities to streamline visa processes for Canadian investors and tourists.
Exploring opportunities in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, and developing partnership programmes and internship opportunities between Canadian and Sri Lankan institutions is also another area of focus. The Council is also engaged in identifying viable projects especially in the tourism sector for potential investors, and facilitating connections and opportunities for Canadian investors in Sri Lanka’s real estate sector.
The SLCBC is also exploring burgeoning Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism sector, identifying suitable projects and lands for potential investors, as well as forging relationships with business and alumni networks and enhance the engagement of the Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada. Plans are also underway to conduct a Road Show in Canada in the first quarter of 2024.
All stakeholders in a unified voice requested the SLCBC to appeal to the Canadian Government through Canadian High Commission in Sri Lanka and other good offices to either lift or lower the travel advisory imposed by the Canadian government.
