E V E N T S
ITB Berlin
First visited ITB in Berlin in 2016 and that was the year that for the first time, ITB dedicated an entire section of the show for LGBT tourism, which I think was a great initiative. I remember there was a protest going on outside Messe Berlin due to some air pollution by the planes. Plus that was the time that Batman VS Superman movie was getting released and Turkish airlines being one of the main sponsors used this movie for their tagline saying that Turkish airlines now fly to Metropolis and Gotham. I was working in the hotels trade at Sun Aqua Pasikuda at the time
IMEX Frankfurt
Went to IMEX in Frankfurt with EVINTRA and not with Sri Lanka Tourist Board. This was a good call since EVINTRA helped me a lot in getting my meetings set up. The size of the stall and the table was small, but it was well worth it. On the second day morning was one of the days my gastritis was playing up and was not a fun day. Met a lot of very nice people at the stall who was sharing the same space. Got my interest peaked in the South American continent since the guy who was sitting next to me was from Peru or Chile I think. That’s an amazing continent that I’m still yet to explore due to the very bad flight connections that we have at the moment from Sri Lanka
Uncover Maldives 2019 in London
A trade show hosted by Hummingbird Travel and it was a great success since lot of agents were so interested in partnering up and their interest in Sri Lanka was very encouraging. The location was changed to a larger venue due to the number of attendees had been increased. The event happened in two halls next to each other.
Mannar Development Session
Participated in a Mannar district development project where a guest speech was given by me on how the locals can develop their tourism industry. It was so encouraging to see so many people turning up and asking various questions since they are quite keen to develop their area and start welcoming the foreign tourists. It’s not their fault that the area doesn’t attract many tourists, but the fault of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board who doesn’t have a vision to start promoting new areas to the world. The tourist board is very happy talking only about Sigiriya, leopards in Yala and the Temple of the tooth, where there’re so many new destinations in the country that needs their attention.
Uncover Maldives 2018 in London
A trade show hosted by Hummingbird Travel and the location was amazing which was right next to the London bridge. The hall was small but it served the purpose. We had to change the venue on the following year since the numbers grew and it was not feasible enough to have the following years’ event there as well. The location’s banquet staff helped the team a lot with the event and let’s say the bar staff was not so helpful after the event
