Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel Sri Lanka , Solicitor in England and Was  former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President Ambassador’s forum

World Travel Mart

WTM World Travel mart is the  largest event on tourism on the Globe taking place  in London November this year  among main global tourism events  . This year London is chosen as  the venue at the  world business centre in UK   a super power state and  one of the major world powers and a  member of the Security  –  a best tourist centre when  millions are  gathering for multiple reasons.  UK is the 10th  main tourist nation with attractions, facilities  and a place of great significance when the Royal  Family known and liked by world citizens playing a  major roll on promoting tourism. Tourism is when   citizens  frequently travel as tourists   pleasure, education, business and many other reasons while helping the host countries to enhance their GDP and providing employment. Host counters readily host and entertain genuine and productive tourists as it brings income and reputation when many countries  mainly depend on tourists and tourism for their livelihood. ‘Maldive Islands’ is one of them depending mainly on tourism for their existence. Sri Lanka is a sponsoring nation of WTM attempting to promote the country for tourism they needed as a main income. London  is a world business centre and a hot spot for tourists and tourism. WTM  is an opportunity for other countries promoting and depending on tourism  to make use of this  rare opportunity to show themselves to the world promoting tourism and the image of the country.This year it is taking place  with the participant of 184 countries and International organizations, expecting   for networking, learn, exchange of knowledge and experiences and show themselves  of the member nations to the world . UK is a comprehensive HUB for tourists  holds the 10th position in attracting tourists when  tourism earning have been 9 trillions in 2023 on tourism to the GDP and a classic venue for WTM this year in London, and UK is planning to increase income up to 111400 billion at the year of 2029 indicates the position given to tourism by the state, when the close neighbour France has taken the first position on tourism in the world attracting  89.3 million  tourists per year. United Kingdom id s world financial, business, education and political centre patronized and used as one of the main world centres with easy access to the  world.

Sri Lanka is a tiny compact beautiful Nation

Sri Lanka a tiny beautiful Island state maintaining  cordial relations with all  members of the family of nations with the motto ‘’friendly with all and angry with none’’ on which the foreign policy is based  with a  balanced non aligned  approach on foreign policy catalyses and helps promotion of tourism whilst France is the number one for tourists as before when   Sri Lanka had 2.5 million visitors at the peak of 2018 contributing 12% to the GDP from tourism  though the potential in Sri Lanka is much more if properly managed and explored the available resources and natural beauty naturally bestowed denied of to  many tourist nations successful in tourist trade. Sri Lanka tourism provides 488000 jobs from tourism in Sri Lanka when substantial number trained in Sri Lanka is abroad overseas in tourist and hotel trade.when the GDP of the world is 40% with 30 million visitors travelling world over. China contributes 6.4 trillion to the GDP on tourism in their country when majority of tourists to Sri Lanka are also  from China, India, EU and many other. It is necessary for any tourist nation to develop a marketing strategy to show the nation  to the world world MTM is and ideal opportunity to meet world leaders on tourism and counterparts with international organizations to learn exchange knowledge experiences and propoxate the tourist trade in the country. Sri Lanka is placed in a strategic ccentre in the  powerful and famous Indian ocean on the silk route known and famous for generations acknowledged by transitional sailors, historians and  travellers on many assignments. Sri Lanka is  tailormade to be a top last destination composed of beauty, different climatic conditions within few hours, full of historical sites of great significance including UNESCO approved sites and places of interest, beautiful water falls and network of rivers in abundance, Ancient historical sites including famous Sigiriya Rock Kingdoms, ruins of ruin and kingdoms including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and many more, Excellent road network connected to expressways, beautiful clean and long beaches right round the island, are some attractions among many that has made easer for the tourism administration of Sri Lanka to promote the nation at the WTM and any other promotional events.

 Compact Sri Lanka Participates as a top Tourist Nation

Tourism Sri Lanka has done wonderful work with massive homework and preparations and it is the time for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans to obtain the best use of the event when tourism is booing in the beautiful Island loved by UK,  EU  the entire world. Leaders and professional will gather at WTM travel mart in 100 acre land in the heart of London expecting to meet business partners tour operators and representatives of tourism hotspots to meet the counterparts, admirers, competitors, and all in the trade promoting each other dealing in 9.9 Trillian world over expecting to achieve 114000 trillion in 2029 making a main lucrative and successful venter with lease investments using the beauty of the country as the main investment. In this context Sri Lanka being one of the most beautiful islands with all requirements to be one of the best destinations and the opportunity now is in our hands to exploit the situation using WTO as a vehicle. Sri Lanka High Commission appear to work hard with Sri Lanka Tourism to meet targets of create an atmosphere to convert tourism as a main source of income and to promote the image of the Nation addition income and improve on GDP still more. In the competitive market Sri Lanka needs to work hard at the door steps of digitalization and AI age making use of all modern trends and strategies giving priority for nature environment making use of the inherent beauty of the compact untouched Island world famous and known as if not the best one of the beautiful destinations, to be exposed to the world for the benefit of the people of the country in need of foreign exchange and enhances GDP.

Sri Lanka is not the  only beautiful girl  on the beach

Sri Lanka competes with many other nations as Tourism is a lacerative and famous to earn foreign exchange for the nation and to improve the image for econimic and political gains in the family of nations. Thailand, Maldives Islands,Vietnam,Indonesia, Nepal,Cambodia and even India and China are in  competition with Sri Lanka with their   different kinds of attractions such as technology, econimic boom, education, location, beauty, historical places of significance,religion, culture and many more. Of  course Sri Lanka too is  equipped with most requirements  but not properly explored due to lack of leadership strategi and corruption spread as air. Successive governments made some efforts to bring tourism to the expectedly international standards  but inefficiency, lack of vision, corruption and bribery has prevented growth which appears to be leading to the correct tract during the last few years despite the downward trend on econimic disputes and wars that has retarded the progress of the nation and tourism in return. Today Sri Lanka  is at 74th position out of 117, chosen by some groups  and some have h complemented Sri Lanka  as ‘’Geoworld’’ who has made Sri Lanka as a Hidden Gem also historically named ‘’Serandib’’ and Gem of the   of the Indian ocean by Arab Sailors voyaged in the past in the Indian ocean for trade. Many organizations such as Forbes have recognized Sri Lanka as a best tourist destination in the world.

Sri Lanka as one of the best tourist destinations in the world

It is Hon DR Arther C Clerk who chose Sri Lanka to live made the pronouncement that there is no other compact Island in the Globe like Sri Lanka with amenities, facilities, beauty, climates, and any of signified for living for living beings led by humans with thousands of written and unwritten history running back to thousand of years  with great cultures, history, religions and all kinds of areas of tourism  in Sri Lanka. It is full of clean and long beaches right round the island mostly shallow and  used for swimming surfing and bathing, river network spreads from the hill to the entire country providing water for agriculture, UNESCO approved and many more ancient cities and places of historical and religious and archaeological significance is plenty, the wildlife with elephants Sri Lankan tigers, parks, and religious cultural and historical places of interest, which are amply documents on the internet and information of tourist industry which now has become world famous.

Way forward to be the best destination

The task has become easier to Sri Lanka to promote tourism to the world due to her inherent beauty, varied climatic conditions within few hours with excellent road network of roads connected to expressways and airports, strategic situation on the sea and air routes, natural beauty unmatched sceneries, a places of historical ancient  and religious significance  which are almost not found in any part of the Globe in a small compact island with peaceful and peace loving community always full of smile and friendly nature, full of amity love friendship with full of peace and reconciliation maintain law and order of the land in a friendly stable political culture unmatched world over yet lot of room for improvement at the doorsteps of the  Artificial Intelligence age and citizens with high literacy rate and IT knowledge of world standards of the average citizen jointly promoting tourism from the behaviours and inherent way of life. Many improvements are to be done to reach the required world standard when tourism is booming worldover looking for affordable, beautiful and peaceful compact nations and it is the duty of our marketeers to showcase ourselves to them  inviting with both arms to be our hosts to improve our industry and earn the foreign currency required for our nation to be economically  sound and to make it a better place with highest living   condition in a safe environment. References of some articles by the author- (Sri Lanka paradise for tourist and tourism-14.4.23 Lanka Web/ Global travel and tourism.24.10.24 Lank Web/ Tourism in Sri Lanaka way forward 16.4.22 Lanka Web/ Madam Bandaraneik’s charm and form/ foreign policy 19.4.2016 Colombo Telegraph/ Foreign policy foreign relation and diplomacy in tourism 13.Aug./2021/Tourism and Hospitality 16.10 24 Lanka Web/ Way forward for a tourist destination 3.10.24 Lanka Web/ tourism must not ruin the nation 8.1.12 Nation/ Sri Lanka paradise for tourists 20.10.23 Ceylon / today saratdw28@gmail.com)