300 French travel agents in SL to seek avenues of tourism promotion

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga delivering speech at Galle face hotel on Tuesday evening 01st November 2016 during Annual Congress of JEV , Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe,Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando Tourism,Martine Pinville, Minister of State for Commerce and Small-Scale Industry, Consumer Affairs and Socio-Economy of France Tourism,H.E. Mr Jean-Marin Schuh, Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism,Paddy Withana were also present.

Richard Soubeille, Vc.President JEV addressing the media regarding the  promotion of tourism in both countries during a press confderence organised by Ministry of Srilankan Tourism and Christian affairs at Galle face hotel on Tuesday 01st November 2016. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga, Sri Lanka Tourism Secretary Janaka Sugathadasa, Tourism Industry Vetaran Prema Cooray, Ambassador to Sri Lanka in France Tilak Ranaviraja,Jean-Marc Roze, Secretary General, JEV were also present.Pix by Gitika Talukdar

Prominent French travel body, the Syndicat National des Agences do Voyages (SNAV) now rebranded as Les Entreprises du Voyage (LEV), was ceremoniously launched in Colombo on Monday with the participation of over 300 French travel agents.

Held at the Galle Face Hotel in a gala event that saw the participation of VIPs from both countries, including Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the launch was a follow-up to the Annual Congress of the French Travel Agents Association known as Le Journées de Entrepreneurs du Voyages (JEV) which took place at the BMICH on Sunday.

At a press briefing held in the lead-up to the launch, Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga and JEV Vice President Richard Soubielle discussed the potential for French tourists to visit Sri Lanka.

The LEV event is scheduled to continue until this Friday. Founded in 1944, LEV has a membership of 5,700 French Government-approved travel agencies and tour operators, representing more than 5,000 sales points in France.

According to a statement issued to the media, The JEV Congress is an annual event held in France with the participation of the organisation’s membership, a majority of whom are outbound travel agents working in France. 

“This time, JEV has picked Sri Lanka as the destination to host this major event and it is after a 10-year lapse that they’re conducting a congress in a destination away from France,” the statement said.

By hosting the JEV 2016 Congress, Sri Lanka wishes to open its full tourism potential to the French market in the coming years, the statement added. The 300 French travel agents are expected to visit Negombo and Colombo with excursions to the cultural triangle over the next few days.