Global travel journalists, Social Media influencers savour Sri Lanka

The journalists and social media influencers at the SLTPB premises with Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu, Director PR  Madubhani Perera  and Assistant Director International Media Chaminda Munasinghe and other officials 

Sri Lanka Tourism recently welcomed a group of mainstream international journalists and travel influencers to promote the destination for upcoming Summer and Winter Seasons (2024/25) while highlighting the new tagline of Sri Lanka Tourism ‘You Will Come Back for More’. 

Representing the key inbound markets for Sri Lanka, the delegation arrived from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Australia, Singapore, USA and Canada. Overall, the group of travel influencers and media carried an active global audience of 1.8 million via mainstream Travel Magazines, News Publications, Travel Blogs and Social Media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, etc. The total advertising value expected to be gained from this earned media promotion will be over Rs. 35 million. 

Sri Lanka Tourism Industry has seen a significant uplift in the 1st quarter of 2024, having well over 600,000 tourists and these earned media promotions expected to support continuous growth during the upcoming seasons by creating multiple reasons to select Sri Lanka as “A Must Visit Holiday Destination in Asia.” 

The media delegation was warmly welcomed by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu, Director Public Relations Madubhani Perera, Assistant Director International Media Chaminda Munasinghe and other officials. 

 Addressing the media, Chairman Gajabahu said: “The visit of these international media and travel influencers is a part of our global campaigns to promote the destination within the key source markets as well as globally. This promotion will be mainly targeting the upcoming summer season which is considered as a low season for us. This earned media promotion is expected to generate many fresh reasons for traveling back to Sri Lanka where we as an island nation have a lot more to offer for our international travellers. We will continue to work on these kinds of international media and influencer promotions along with our other multiple trade promotions over the upcoming seasons to assure we will continue to grow within 2024 to achieve our overall targets.”

The tour between 2 and 12 April covered Colombo, Habarana, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawa, Galle, and Bentota. 

“This timely important destination promotional project was organised under the SLTPB’s international media and travel influencer facilitation programs also known as “Visiting Journalist and Blogger Programs 2024 (VJP/VBP).” It is expected multiple travel content will be highlighting the country as “The Ideal Asian Tropical Holidaymaker for 2024,” the SLTPB said.

With over 1.8 million combined global digital travel audience, this media delegation given the opportunity of exploring both popular and emerging tourism attractions in Sri Lanka including, authentic gastronomic tour in the Central Province, Hike to Katusu Konda Mountain in Kandy, Exploring Ella and Uva Province, Highland Train Ride to Demodra, Visiting Vedda Community in Mahiyanganaya,  Visit to Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home and National Parks. In Udawalawa an exclusive tour on Sri Lankan Craft Tourism was given by The Master Potter Ajith Perera at his newest venture The Pottery Museum at Craft Tunnel - The Potter’s Retreat where he offers authentic local cuisines along with special pottery tours for tourists and visitors to promote craft tourism in Sri Lanka.  

By shifting from visiting usual destination highlights and exploring tourism activities, this international media and influencers delegation was engaged in a Maadu Ganga River cleaning session organised by Zero Plastic Movement along with the Safari Boat Service Providers Association in Maadu Ganga. The foreign media delegation was thrilled to be a  part of this plastic collecting session to support the effort on minimizing the carbon footprint in destination Sri Lanka where they have been joined with 60 university students from the university of Colombo.

Multiple tourism industry stakeholders representing public and private sector supported in making this national tourism industry promotional initiative including Uva Tourism, Thema Collection (Aliya Resort and Spa -Habarana), Hotel Mapakada Village- Mahiyangana, Colombo City Tours by Ebert Silva Holidays, Demodara Tea Estate, Colombo Lotus Tower and Royal Holidays Tour Operator Company.