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Tuesday, 19 March 2013 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Shantha Wickramasinghe, a Sri Lankan entrepreneur in Japan, received a special award from President Mahinda Rajapaksa in recognition of his contribution to promote Sri Lanka Tourism in Japan. Wickramasinghe won two awards – one for being the most successful tour operator in Japan for sending Japanese tourists to Sri Lanka during the off-season, and the silver award for best performer in 2012.
The awards were presented on Wednesday, 13 March in Tokyo during the President’s visit to Japan. The ceremony was organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Japan.
“Promoting tourists from Japan to Sri Lanka before the war was tough but we continued to send groups on special packages – there were not many promotional activities as well. However, now Ambassador Wasantha Karannagoda is making a great effort to promote Sri Lanka tourism in Japan and many promotional activities have been done already. Following these promotions, the Japanese have shown a greater interest to visit Sri Lanka,” said Wickramasinghe after receiving the awards. Wickramasinghe is the President of Lion Royal Travel Company in Tokyo. He stated he was the first Sri Lankan to start a travel agency in Tokyo about a decade ago. “With our untiring and continuous efforts, the market was developed gradually. I am extremely happy about receiving the award. I hope I will be able to contribute more to Sri Lankan economy through tourism in the years to come,” added Wickramasinghe.
