SL all set to host 68th Indian travel agents’ convention from today

• Over 500 delegates and media from different parts of India in Colombo for 4-day annual gathering
• President Ranil Wickremesinghe to officiate at inauguration at BMICH
• India is Sri Lanka’s biggest tourist source market; 2023 1H arrivals up 68% YoY to 116,193

TAAI President Jyoti Mayal

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando

The much awaited four-day Convention of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will kick off in Colombo today drawing over 500 participants giving a big boost to Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.

Hosted in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) , the TAAI’s 67th Convention will be inaugurated by President Ranil Wickremesinghe today at the BMICH. Tourism Minister Harin Fernando will be the guest of Honour. The convention will generate a lot of trade opportunities for both local and Indian travel industry stakeholders. There will be 50 Indian media personnel attending the Convention as well, highlighting it as a top level travel event in the tourism calendar, bringing key industry stakeholders, representatives and delegates from both countries. 

Sri Lanka Tourism is the main sponsor of the event and supported by SLAITO and SriLankan Airlines. A joint press conference is also scheduled to be held today under the patronage of Minister Harin Fernando, TAAI President Jyoti Mayal, SLTPBC Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu and SLAITO President Nishad Wijetunga.

As side events of this convention, a two-day business session and a Buyer –Seller meet which will be held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Shangri La Colombo tomorrow and Saturday respectively. The B2B sessions, which will be mainly conducted for the local and Indian trade representatives, will give them an opportunity to expand their businesses and share trade information of both countries.  There will be 500 participants from the Indian travel trade who will participate in these meetings whereas 150 participants from the Sri Lankan travel trade will join this opportunity.

The Sri Lankan theme dinner on 7 July 2023 will be held at the Cinnamon Grand hotel with the participation of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, and the Tourism Minister Fernando along with travel Industry representatives and officials. The occasion will be further enhanced by a cultural performance by the Channa –Upuli Performing Arts Foundation. 

The closing gala dinner which is to be held at the Heritance Negombo on 8 July will include extra glamour and colour with the participation of popular Sri Lankan artists, Sri Lankan and Indian travel representatives and cultural performances by the Gayan Srimal dance troupe. The event will be held under the patronage of the Tourism Minister.

TAAI has a membership of over 2,500 and hosting its convention in Sri Lanka provides huge visibility for the country. India is Sri Lanka’s biggest tourist source market. In the first half of this year, arrivals from India amounted to 116,193,  up by 68% from the corresponding period of last year.

TAAI’s area of activity extends to Aviation; Tourism – outbound and inbound; MICE – inbound and outbound; Adventure Tourism; Sports Tourism; Education etc. TAAI Members are involved in all these activities and there is no other Travel and Tourism Association in India with this strength and band-width offering leadership to this most growing industry.

SLTPB said the TAAI Convention will be a great opportunity to promote Sri Lanka by enhancing its position as one of the most sought after travel destinations to further promote Indian market for an year round destination.