The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vietnam recently hosted a seminar to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. The seminar was conducted in collaboration with Sri Lankan Tourism and was attended by more than 50 travel agents, media personnel, tourism promotional institutions, and senior officials from the International Cooperation Department of the National Administration of Tourism, among others. The event was held at the Chancery of the Embassy and lasted for over two hours.
The seminar aimed to showcase Sri Lanka’s hidden and unexplored touristic attributes and attractions to potential Vietnamese tourists and travelers. During the seminar, several promotional videos, presentations, and Q&A sessions were held, along with authentic Sri Lankan cuisine served to the invitees/guests. Most of the attendees were convinced of Sri Lanka’s natural beauty, endowments, and unique touristic attractions, which are unlike any other country.
The speakers at the event highlighted that Sri Lanka have been chosen as one of the most favored destinations by a few noted and reputed organizations, including “Lonely Planet”, “CNN”, “BBC Good Food”, and “National Geographics”. The recorded messages were subtitled in Vietnamese, and major touristic attractions of Sri Lanka were profiled, such as Esala Perahera (Pagent) in Kandy, train rides, religious tourism, breathtaking beaches and tea gardens, unique UNESCO sites, adventure tourism, and Sri Lankan cuisine, among others.
The seminar was opened by the lighting of the traditional oil lamp by Ambassador–Designate, Prof. A. Saj U. Mendis, along with Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Nhung, Director of International Cooperation Department of Vietnam, Vice President & General Secretary of Vietnam Travel Agents known as VISTA, Ms. Giang Bien, and President of the Media Club of Hanoi, Nguyen Duc Xuyen, as well as senior officials of the Embassy. The opening remarks of the seminar were delivered by Prof. Mendis, along with translation to Vietnamese, and profiled over 60 PowerPoint slides to help the guests and invitees from the travel agencies and tourism promotional institutions to comprehend and persuade the intrinsic touristic attributes that Sri Lanka offers.
The seminar also featured a couple of FAM (familiarization) tour participants to Sri Lanka, sponsored by SLTPB, who spoke of their unforgettable and memorable experiences in Sri Lanka. Since the COVID pandemic has disrupted the tourism industry on a global basis, Prof. Mendis, and the Chairman of SLTPB stated that Sri Lanka is now fully open to welcome tourists and travelers, particularly from Vietnam since the tourism from Vietnam to Sri Lanka is minimal. In 2022, approximately 10 million Vietnamese people traveled out of the country, mostly to ASEAN countries, Japan, China, and South Korea. Both Prof. Mendis and Ms. Wickramasinghe, during their remarks and presentations, stated that if Sri Lanka could capture not 1% but only 0.5% of Vietnamese travelers, it would translate to 50,000 visitors.
Vietnam is a nation with a population of over 100 million and has immense and increasing potential for Sri Lanka to attract and woo tourists. The seminar was a success in showcasing Sri Lanka’s tourism potential to the Vietnamese attendees and encouraging them to promote Sri Lanka as a travel destination.
Source: The Island Online
