A roadshow was conducted here on Wednesday by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) to showcase the tourism potential of the island nation to the people of the city, through travel operators, and to explore avenues for promoting Vizag as a potential tourist destination in that country.
Assistant Director of SLTPB Viranga Bandara said that the objective of the roadshow was to highlight the new tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. “There has been an increase in the number of tourist arrivals from India over the years and we hope that these promotion will help the number rise further. The popular ‘Ramayana Trails in Sri Lanka’ is a major attraction for tourists from India. Tours are being organised by SLTPB in the Ramayana circuit,” he said.
122 direct flights a week
Chammika Iddagodage, Manager, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, SriLankan Airlines, said that SriLankan Airlines was operating 122 direct flights a week, connecting Sri Lanka from 14 Indian cities, including Visakhapatnam. The Vizag-Colombo flight, operating thrice a week, was doing extremely well. Area Manager (Visakhapatnam) of SriLankan Airlines Dimithra De Alwis also spoke.
They said that Indian tourists could look forward to luxury holidays, beach resorts, casinos and hill stations apart from Ramayana and Buddhist tourist circuits in Sri Lanka.
“As many as 22 companies from Sri Lanka, besides travel agents from Vizag, Vijayawada and Bhubaneswar are participating in the show. Visakhapatnam is the third city of the seven roadshows being organised in India,” said Director of Representation World Vineet Gopal. “These shows help in promoting Buddhist sites and other places of tourist interest in and around Vizag,” opined Muralikrishna of TraveliQ. TTAA president K. Vijay Mohan was present.
