Evanjelin to make the world embrace Sri Lanka

• Born to Lankan parents Evanjelin becomes first woman of colour to win the prestigious Miss International UK title
• Sets foot in Sri Lanka for the first time
• Volunteers to promote the country in UK and rest of the world in partnership with Sri Lanka Tourism
• Announces launch of her own brand ‘Lassana’ as platform to market destination Sri Lanka 

My experience in Sri Lanka has been so amazing. I have explored so much of history and culture, truly humble people, amazing food and beautiful landscapes everywhere I went. It is definitely a safe and beautiful country to travel with so much to offer to visitors. With my title, I hope to inspire a lot more people to visit Sri Lanka and continue to promote this wonderful island in this world

By Tania de Silva

Born to Sri Lankan parents, Miss Evanjelin Elchmanar, can be considered as an asset to Sri Lanka, since she is the first woman of colour to win the prestigious Miss International UK title. She will be representing the United Kingdom in the 60th Miss International beauty pageant in October this year, one of the big three competitions alongside Miss Universe and Miss World.

The 21-year-old Evanjelin hailing from the City of Birmingham set foot in Sri Lanka on 3 February 2022 for the very first time in her life, and the main purpose was to join hands with Sri Lanka Tourism and make her contribution to destination marketing in the UK. In order to proceed with her charity projects, she has enthusiastically involved herself promoting Sri Lanka among UK travellers by visiting and showcasing the local attractions, culture, cuisine and most of all, the hospitality and the welcoming smile of Sri Lanka.

Earlier this week Evanjelin, a former Miss Teen Great Britain in 2017 and Miss West Midlands International 2020, recounted to the media of her tour in Sri Lanka, video documentaries concerning the tour of Galle, Sigiriya and Hiriwadunna, and launch of her official website, www.climatexchange.art. She also showcased projects she has been involved in during her visit such as building dream homes for the poor, funding various school projects, creating awareness against domestic violence, creating awareness about women’s empowerment, creating awareness to stand against climate change, promoting sustainable living and organic culture, and promoting Sri Lanka as a destination via social media channels, to name a few.

Expressing her views on Sri Lanka, Miss UK International Evanjelin said: “My experience in Sri Lanka has been so amazing. I have explored so much of history and culture, truly humble people, amazing food and beautiful landscapes everywhere I went. It is definitely a safe and a beautiful country to travel with so much to offer to visitors, with my title I hope to inspire a lot more people to visit Sri Lanka and continue to promote this wonderful Island in this world.” 

During the tour Evanjelin visited several tourism sites including Galle, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Sigiriya and Pinnawala Orphanage. She has had the most memorable experiences in each of the locations she visited, especially the village tour in Hiriwadunna where she was able to experience the Sri Lankan village life, stilt fishing in Koggala, meeting baby twins at Pinnawala Orphanage.

“We should not move into dust in front of our responsibilities, we have to teach the beauty of our motherland, Sri Lanka to our children,” said Shanthi Rajakaruna, mother of Miss of International UK. 

Moreover, she clarified how her daughter’s visit will play a major role in enhancing the tourism promotion campaigns which Sri Lanka Tourism is currently involved in, to further take Sri Lanka to the world. She mentioned how her daughter anticipated that through this visit, each social media platform belonging to Sri Lanka Tourism, such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter will reach a significant viewership. She also has the idea that through a prestigious organisation such as Sri Lanka Tourism, it will be much easier to promote Sri Lanka in the UK and across the world and her daughter will be committed to do so in future.

Remarkably, Rajakaruna announced at the very first time to the media that Evangeline Elchmanar is keen to promote Sri Lanka across the world by her own brand called ‘Lassana’ as informed that the update of the brand Lassana is in the process of execution. All in all, Miss International UK believes that she should do the promotion to show the love and tribute to the country. 

Evanjelin is certainly a pride to Sri Lanka for bringing such prestige and glamour by promoting the destination through her talents.

The role played by Evanjelin in promoting Sri Lanka in the UK is a further boost to tourism which is rebounding post-COVID. CNN Travel ranked Sri Lanka as one of the 20 best places to visit in 2020. The destination was again featured as one of the Top Destinations to travel in February 2020 by CondeNast Traveler – Middle East. In 2021, Sigiriya became one of Bloomberg’s new 7 wonders of the world. Sri Lanka was ranked one of the top 25 islands voted by readers of travel + leisure magazine for 2021 with many UNESCO heritage sites, beaches, wildlife parks and hill country resorts bottled up into a small space. 

Sri Lanka is undoubtedly one of the best holiday destinations waiting to be discovered and celebrated. In 2021, Sri Lanka won another accolade as one of the best countries to travel to by Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, and in parallel to that, globally ranked as a wellness tourism destination.

“Tourism is one of the key pillars of the Sri Lanka economy,” Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Director Marketing Dushan Wickramasuriya. He explained how ‘Safe & Secure’ Certified Tourism Service Providers act in Sri Lanka in order to confirm the safety of tourists. He was delighted to join hands with Miss International UK to utilise her title and also her accomplishments to promote Sri Lanka as a potential tourism destination for UK travellers, and encourage them to consider Sri Lanka as their next holiday destination.

Miss International UK Evanjelin Elchmanar launching her official website climatexchange.art, one of the projects she has been involved in during her visit, while (from left): Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Marketing Director Dushan Wickramasuriya, Climate X Change Organiser-Treasurer Sadini Nisansala and Evanjelin’s mother and Manager Shanthi Rajakaruna look on 

 Pix by Ruwan Walpola