Dhaka, Press Release, High Commission of Sri Lanka, 27 Sep 2024: The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Bangladesh, in collaboration with Sri Lankan Airlines, actively participated in the 11th
Asian Tourism Fair (ATF) held from 19 to 21 September 2024 at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 11th Asian Tourism Fair was organized by Parjatan Bichitra, a leading and reputed tourism magazine in Bangladesh, with the support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh Tourism Corporation, Tourist Police Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) under the theme “Connecting Regional Tourism, helping to promote seamless travel opportunities for holidaymakers”.
The Sri Lankan promotional booth at the 11th ATF highlighted many aspects of the great potential that Sri Lanka has as a leading tourist destination in the world while illustrating its natural beauty and the rich cultural heritage. During the three-day Tourism Fair, the Sri Lankan booth was visited by over 2,000 Bangladeshi tour operators, travel agents, individual travelers and students. The visitors were keen to gain tourism related information about Sri Lanka and expressed a strong interest in visiting the country.
This event also set a stage for inbound and outbound tour operators/agents, service providers, airlines, hotels and other industry stakeholders to interact with each other and to find the way
forward to develop the tourism industry through renewed initiatives, for shared benefits.
Sri Lankan Airlines promoted a special airfare for Bangladeshi travelers to Sri Lanka during the fair, and offered return air tickets to Colombo for three lucky winners in a raffle drawn at the closing ceremony of the event.
Bangladesh is considered a high-potential market for Sri Lanka tourism, with over 24,000 Bangladeshi tourists visiting Sri Lanka from January to August in 2024.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the event, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh Dharmapala Weerakkody invited more Bangladeshi tourists to visit Sri Lanka, enjoy its hospitality and discover the island’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
END
