Sri Lanka wins three awards at the Seoul International Travel Fair

 

 

The Sri Lanka pavilion won three awards at the recently concluded Seoul International Tourism Fair (SITF) held from 5-8 June at the COEX exhibition centre in Gangnam, Seoul.  The pavilion, jointly organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Seoul and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTBP), won the awards for “best booth design”, “best booth public relations” and for the “best performance” for the traditional Sri Lankan dances. The is the second consecutive year that Sri Lanka has won the “best booth design” award at the SITF.

 

The Sri Lanka booth was opened by Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Savitri Panabokke, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Korea, Mr. Sampath Nishshanka, Managing Director of the SLTPB and Mr. John Park, CEO of Pacific Air Agency, GSA for Sri Lankan Airlines in South Korea.  The Deputy Minister also participated at the official inauguration of the Fair and met with several Ministers and high -level officials from participating countries and heads of the Korea World Travel Fair (KOFTA) and World Tourism Industry Conference (WTIC) of South Korea.

 

The colourful booth showcased the many tourist attractions that Sri Lanka has to offer and an opportunity for visitors to savour a cup of Ceylon tea.  South Korean tourists and travel agents were also able to meet representatives of over 20 Sri Lankan travel companies at the booth, to plan their visits to Sri Lanka and explore opportunities for collaboration.  In addition to key attractions, the booth also highlighted various experiences that tourists visiting Sri Lanka could obtain, including wellness treatments, wildlife safaris and adventure sports.

 

The performances by the Rivega Dance Troupe, of traditional Sri Lankan dance forms and drumming, attracted a vast audience at the Fair.  Their innovative and creative adaptation of traditional Sri Lankan dance movements to the South Korean hit song “Gangnam Style” received great cheers from the audience.

 

The SITF which is held annually in Seoul, is organized by KOTFA. This year it attracted 406 exhibitors from 41 countries and about 45,000 international and South Korean visitors.