News
Sri Lanka plans vigorous campaign to attract Thai tourists
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Thailand Wijayanthi Edirisinghe said that promotion of Sri Lanka as a destination for Thai holidaymakers would be a top priority for her. Ambassador Edirisinghe said that she would go flat out to achieve that objective.
She said so during a meeting with a group of visiting Sri Lankan journalists at the Embassy over the weekend.
When asked that Sri Lanka and Thailand being two predominantly Buddhist countries, what steps have been taken to attract Thai Buddhist tourists to Sri Lanka, the Ambassador said that she would launch a vigorous campaign to woo that segment of the market which has hitherto not been tapped properly.
She said during the recent Vesak festival, a documentary was screened to tour operators showcasing Buddhism in Sri Lanka and the Buddhist trail of the country produced by a well known film company Winston Films.
” I will make the forthcoming Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organised annual ‘Thailand Travel Mart + 2025′ from 4-6 June in Chiang Mai, a platform to meet my objective of promoting the country as a tourist destination with the Thai Tour Operators as well as those visiting the fair from other South East Asian countries.” the Ambassador said.
The Sri Lankan envoy said that she has already discussed the matter with some Thai tour operators in Bangkok and she planned to meet more Thai tour operators and travel agents at the forthcoming Thailand Travel Mart.
The Ambassador said she would encourage Sri Lankan travel agents also to participate at the forthcoming Thailand Travel Mart, via her links with Sri Lanka Tourism.
Edirisinghe requested Sri Lankan travellers visiting Thailand not to abuse the on arrival free visa facility offered by the Thai government and added that the facility has immensely convenienced the Sri Lankans travelling to Thailand and there was also an increase in the number of Sri Lankans travelling to Thailand.
Edirisinghe agreed that there was a huge potential in promoting our tourism product if properly marketed as there was a hitherto properly untapped market for religious tourism.
The Ambassador said the Thai government has offered to provide opportunities to Sri Lankan students pursuing careers in the hospitality industry to be trained in Thailand.
She also stated that some Thai investors have expressed their willingness to invest in tourism-related projects in Sri Lanka and already there were five hospitality properties managed by reputed Thai hotel chains in the country.
The Ambassador said that further strenthening the strong bonds beween Thailand and Sri Lanka, a team of medical professionals of the Siriraj Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, which enjoys the patronage of the Thai Royal Family, will perform free knee surgeries for 70 patients at the Kandy Hospital in the near future.
By Harischandra Gunaratna recently in Bangkok
Prime Munister Dr Harini Amarasuriya returned to the island this (23rd) morning after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
The Sri Lanka Navy successfully conducted a diving operation on 19 Jan 26 to inspect and restore the sluice gate of the Bomburuella Reservoir.
Acting on a request from the Department of Irrigation, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed a specialized diving team from the Western Naval Command, for the urgent requirement.
Through concerted effort, the Navy divers successfully cleared accumulated debris, including a significant quantity of wooden fragments, which had impeded the sluice gate mechanism.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on Wednesday [January 21] on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, engaging with representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, and the global private sector.
The Prime Minister met with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. During the meeting, she expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support extended by the European Union and its member states following Cyclone Ditwa. The Prime Minister also briefed the Commissioner on the key findings of the World Bank’s GRADE report and requested continued EU support for Sri Lanka’s development and recovery efforts.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Alexander De Croo, representing the United Nations Development Programme. She expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations and acknowledged the UN’s support in flood relief and livelihood assistance. The Prime Minister noted that, following the mandate received at the parliamentary election, the government is focused on meeting public expectations through national rebuilding grounded in public trust and good governance. She further reaffirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening social protection systems and safeguarding vulnerable communities.
In addition, the Prime Minister met with Robert M. Uggla, Chairman of A.P. Moller Holding. The discussion focused on engagement with the private sector and potential areas of collaboration.
These meetings reflected Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with international partners and global stakeholders to support recovery, development, and long-term economic stability.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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