Sri Lanka participates at the JATA Tourism Expo 2019 held in
Osaka, Japan creating a positive impact on its Japanese counterparts showcasing
its uniqueness as a travel destination on 24-27 October.
Known as one of the biggest trade and consumer-oriented
travel fair, Tourism Expo in Japan has pulled in over 210,000 visitors and 152
countries and regions during the fair in 2018. Moreover, JATA Congress has
attracted 1,052 delegates in the same year. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau
(SLTPB) has been participating at JATA Travel Fair for the last 20 years to
promote Sri Lanka tourism products among Japanese travelers.
Sri Lanka Tourism participates in the event annually with
the main goal of promoting and introducing Sri Lankas cultural and historical
attractions to the Japanese market and to offer a platform specifically build
to enhance business partnerships with their Japanese counterparts.
Sri Lanka was represented by travel agents and hoteliers who
have been promoting Sri Lanka in the Japanese market for so many years. The Sri
Lanka delegation for this years fair included SLTPB Japan Market Junior
Manager Kalpa Gunasinghe, SLTPB Assistant Director Thanuja Muniweera and
Industry representative from Sri Lanka Ushan Ediriweera.
The Sri Lanka pavilion was opened under the patronage of
Honorary Consular in Osaka Dr. Kyo Ito, Commercial Minister Samantha Wijesekara
representing the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo, Japan, and Sri Lanka Business
Council Chairperson Saman Priyankara. 12 industry participants joined the
Sri Lanka delegation at this mega event.
The items which drew the attention of the visitors were the
tea counter, roulette board, the selfie corner and the VR experience, where
Japanese visitors were able to get an exclusive opportunity of getting a life
like experience of whale watching and the scenic beauty of Sri Lanka. The
Japanese visitors were impressed to explore the amazing holiday and travel
opportunities that Sri Lanka had to offer and its scenic beauty, the cultural
and natural wonders.
This year, the exhibition saw a large crowd of over 150,000
visitors in all four days, even more than the fair which was held in Tokyo last
year. This was the first time in which the event was held in Osaka, since
traditionally it has been held in Tokyo since its inception.
Business to Business (B2B) meetings were also held at the Sri Lanka Pavilion
(B2B) where the members of the Sri Lankan delegation was able to discuss and
exchange trade ideas with their Japanese counterparts. This year, SLTPB
reserved an area of one 26 square meters for the Sri Lanka pavilion. The
SLTPB officials were able to meet government organisations such as Japan
Airlines, Japan Association of Travel Agents, Japan International Co-Operation
Agency, advertising and PR companies including Sakura International Inc.,
Dentsu Inc., Japan Footage Inc., Travel agents and Tour Operators such as Euro
travel services, Red Apple travel, Orange Inc., and Tokyu Agency Inc.
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