SLAITO to hold 10th edition of ‘Sancharaka Udawa’ on 20 and 21 May

From left: Sancharaka Udawa Event Chairman Nishad Wijetunga, Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi, Srl Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Padma Siriwardana and  CDC Events CEO Imran Hassan are also present the event 

By Sandesh Jayasinghe

The 10th edition of the ‘Sancharaka Udawa’, the country’s premier travel and tourism exhibition organised by Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) will be held on 20 and 21 May at the BMICH.

The two-day event will give an opportunity to over 200 exhibitors to market their products, whilst providing an opportunity to engage with the relevant Government authorities as well as create lasting connections with the target markets to grasp the most current layout of the tourism industry.

The largest and only travel and tourism fair in Sri Lanka will include a multitude of travel and tourism services like wildlife, water sports and a variety of other services. The main sponsor for the event is Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB).

Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi said having survived the global pandemic, Sri Lanka has been experiencing a strong comeback in arrivals from all around the world. 

“This opportunity is making new post-COVID wave of curiosity and a perfect occasion for new operators and service providers to grow in their niche and elevate the attention on the country as a whole,” he added.

Hettiarachchi also assured the fullest corporation for the industry to overcome the current crises, whilst adding that from this month situation will be much better in terms of electricity, fuel and others.

“As the apex body for inbound tourism in Sri Lanka, we feel it is our duty to organise this event to give the smaller and individual service providers in the regions a platform to meet their main customer group the DMC community as well as the public and private sector officials in the industry under one roof,” Sancharaka Udawa Event Chairman Nishad Wijetunga said. 

He also said that they have a faithful group of exhibitors who repeatedly exhibited at Sancharaka Udawa over the years, is proof that it is a much looked forward to industry event that benefits the small service providers in the tourism industry.

“This travel expo offers a vital platform for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) sectors, supporting all small, medium and large travel players to make their appearance. Hence, we’re able to enhance the unique Sri Lankan brand and maximise the shared impact of individual stakeholders in tourism on our country by way of the Sancharaka Udawa,” Wijetunga added.

Prospective exhibitors include hotels and resorts, restaurants, entertainment services and boutique hotels, which will be the largest segment, transport providers, campsites, and provincial tourism authorities among others.

The 10th edition of the event will include leading and independent outbound global co-operators alongside cultural entertainment providers. The exhibition will begin at 10.00 a.m. and continue till 8.00 p.m. The proceedings for the first half on 20 May is on trade and will be open to the public from the second half of the first day. 

The entry level for the exhibition will be Rs. 22,500. The sancharakaudawa.com website will provide additional information on registration for the event.

- Pic by Lasantha Kumara