German Travel Association extends support to Sri Lanka tourism

On their arrival in Sri Lanka

TIC officers welcoming the German delegation

SLTPB Chairman Kishu Gomes, SLTPB Managing Director Charmarie Maelge, DRV President Norbert Andreas Fiebig and Dimuthu Tennakoon

DRV President Norbert Andreas Fiebig being presented a souvenir by SLTPB Chairman Kishu Gomes

The German delegation

The delegation also met Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religous Affairs Minister John Amaratunga and senior SLTPB officials

A high profile delegation from German Travel Association (DRV) headed by its Chief, Andreas Fiebig visited Sri Lanka on 22 October on an invitation extended by Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Sri Lanka tourism officials on their arrival at the BIA. The main purpose of their visit was to support Sri Lanka at this moment of hour by promoting Sri Lanka among their membership as a potential destination to visit. The delegation held discussions with the Minister of Tourism Development and with SLTPB Chairman Kishu Gomes, exploring the possible promotions including a Trade FAM tour over the next three months.  

A press conference was also held in Colombo, which consisted of some important topics on developing Sri Lanka as a number one travel destination and on encouraging more tourist arrivals from Germany. The press conference was headed by a distinguished panel of guests including Kishu Gomes, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Charmarie Maelge, DRV President Norbert Andreas Fiebig, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka John Rhode, Sri Lankan Airlines Head of Worldwide Sales DimuthuTennakoon, and German Industry and Chamber and Commerce Chief Delegate Andreas Hergenrother.

Minister John Amaratunga said, “I would like to thank Andreas Fiebig, President of the German Travel Agents Association, DRV for accepting my invitation and visiting Sri Lanka. I consider this visit of the German travel industry delegation as a gesture of solidarity with Sri Lanka in the backdrop of the unfortunate incidents last April. Germany has been an old friend of our tourism industry. During the difficult days in the 80s and 90s Germany was the leading source market for us. With nearly 50 million Germans travelling overseas each year there is no reason why Germany cannot reclaim this title in Sri Lanka. Our mix of tourism offerings is ideally suited for the German market and it is my hope and wish that the DRV delegation will convey the fact that Sri Lanka is a safe destination for all tourists.”

During his speech, the DRV President expressed that Sri Lanka’s pristine beaches and Ayurveda are the major attractions for German tourists. 

“Our delegation consisting of high ranking members of Germany’s tourism industry, most of them organised in DRV’s Technical Committee on Outbound Tourism and they are very much looking forward to promote Sri Lanka,” he further added.

SLTPB Managing Director Charmarie Maelge thanked the President of the DRV Association for taking the initiative to visit Sri Lanka and support the destination in its promotional activities. She mentioned, “Sri Lanka tourism has had amazing support from all of our overseas trade partners and also from the consumers world over to bring back the destination to be a highly popular and a much demanded holiday destination.” 

The press conference also provided the opportunity for the media to ask questions where it took a very interesting turn, with key questions which were relevant to the industry. 

The German delegation will be returning on 26 October after a brief tour of the country, including visits to main tourist attractions such as Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Negombo. Germany is one of the top 10 markets for Sri Lanka tourism. This visit is expected to create a major impact on promoting Sri Lanka as a number one travel destination and also to attract more tourists from Germany.