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SriLankan Airlines CEO Rakitha Jayawardena (left) and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Rohantha Athukorala sponsored the initiative along with the Sri Lanka Tea Board
In a unique partnership seeking to make Sri Lanka a stronger brand globally, Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lanka Tea Board and SriLankan Airlines embarked on a Guinness World Record attempt on the sidelines of the APOT.Asia Forum 2015.
The event, entitled the ‘Tea Plucking Guinness Book of Records Attempt’, will be held in Nuwara Eliya.
APOT Founder Keerthi Ranasinghe said: “At the last conference in Vietnam a similar world record was conquered and I am happy Sri Lanka is targeting a similar feat in the tea industry in a unique tri-party partnership.”
“Ceylon Tea, which is being endorsed by Sri Lanka Tourism and SriLankan Airlines, is in a winning position to drive Brand Sri Lanka globally,” said Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Rohantha Athukorala.
“Through the partnership between Pure Ceylon Tea, Sri Lanka Tourism and SriLankan Airlines we hope to set a new record with 1,000 people gathering in one location to pick the most tea within a specified period of time. The event will be held on 30 August.
“This initiative is not just a one-off idea but will be taken around the world and then culminate at the WTM in London. So that buzz supports the strong above-the-line media campaign that we will launch in our focused markets while supporting the below-the-line activity, like the travel trade exhibitions we take part in,” added Athukorala.
“We must now build on the joint promotions conducted by our two institutions so that together we can increase the quality of travellers to Sri Lanka,” said SriLankan Airlines CEO Rakitha Jayawardene.
“The good news is that the process has already begun in the Italian market where 8,000 new businesses have been secured in a typical private-public partnership between Sri Lanka Tourism and a top tour operator which was strongly supported by SriLankan Airlines’ Italian market head. We are also working on joint promotions in the Middle Eastern market that will come into play during the next two months,” said Jayawardena.
