During the nine-day familiarization programme, Brazilian tour operators and destination promoters visited many important touristic places including Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Kandalama, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Habarana, Kandy, tea plantations in NuwaraEliya, Yala National Park, Galle Dutch Fort, Ahungalla, Balapitiya, Kosgoda and Waskaduwa.
Speaking at the welcome dinner on 03rd December at Hotel TajSamudra, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Brazil, Raja Edirisuriya said that, with its unique touristic spots, Sri Lanka would become one of the favorite destinations in Asia for Brazilian tourists. Speaking further, the Ambassador said that the familiarization tour was only the first step of a series of activities to promote Sri Lanka tourism in Brazil and other Latin American countries.
Ambassador Edirisuriya, referring to a study by Euromonitor International, emphasized the importance of frequent engagement in promotional activities in Brazil which has a population of around 200 million. According to Euromonitor International, the number of outbound tourist trips from Brazil continued to increase strongly in 2013, growing by more than 12% to reach 9.1 million trips. This increase was well above Latin America´s average of 7% for the same year.
At the end of the tour, during a special dinner at Hotel Vivanta by Taj, fascinated participants expressed their enthusiastic support to promote Sri Lanka as a unique tourist destination in Brazil and in other Latin American countries.
Financial assistance for the programme was extended by Aitken Spence Travels while Etihad Airlines provided discounted air tickets for the delegation. (SDF/KH)
