The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the largest tourism organization in India, returns to Sri Lanka after 18 years with Airline Partner SriLankan Airlines for their 67th Convention, set to take place from 6 – 9 July 2023 in Colombo. 

SriLankan Airlines said in a statement, that as an airline that is singularly committed to growing tourism in the country and accounts for about 45 per cent of the Indian tourists arriving in Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines takes pride in being part of the Indian travel trade’s premier annual event. The convention is expected to invigorate Indian outbound travel to Sri Lanka following several years of setbacks.  

The association plays a leading role in shaping India’s outbound tourism and represents all stakeholders in the Indian travel industry including airlines, tour operators, hotels and transport companies.  This year’s convention will draw close to 450 agents and 50 international travel media personalities, some of whom are booked to fly to Sri Lanka on SriLankan Airlines. Renowned for generating widespread coverage and tourism footfall for the host country every year, the event will certainly help encourage Indian travellers to visit neighbouring Sri Lanka. 

A main theme of the 2023 TAAI convention is to strengthen regional tourism, which coincides with SriLankan Airlines’ regional hub strategy, with its prime location in the Indian ocean extending connections to multiple countries to the north, east and west of India. A position which has made SriLankan Airlines and Colombo a preferred carrier and transit hub, respectively, for many Indian travellers heading to and from the Middle East, the Far East, Europe, Australia and the Maldives. SriLankan Airlines currently operates 85 weekly flights between Colombo and the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai, Trichy and Madurai.

Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution of SriLankan Airlines commented on the airline partnering with TAAI stating, “India holds a special place in the history of SriLankan Airlines for many reasons, and this is reflected in the fact that nearly 40 per cent of our current operations are concentrated to India. We want to continue growing our presence in India with a strategic focus on leisure and MICE travellers and will introduce more flights and cities to our Indian service in the future. It is therefore exciting to collaborate with TAAI on their biggest calendar event, which serves as a strong starting point for a renewed future of travel between India and Sri Lanka.”

The convention is likely to boost the image of Sri Lanka as a safe, convenient and comfortingly familiar vacation spot among Indian travel industry players and travellers. An image, a reality, that SriLankan Airlines takes initiative to promote through its communications in India.  As Sri Lanka gets ready to welcome the guests of the TAAI convention, SriLankan Airlines will continue in its role as the present-day maker of journeys between Sri Lanka and India, in a travel tradition dating back millennia., the Airline added. (NewsWire)

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The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will hold its annual convention in Sri Lanka in July, Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando announced.

Addressing the media, Minister Fernando stated that the 68th Convention of TAAI will be held from 06-09 July 2023 in Colombo.

The event will be hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism and handled by the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO).

Also speaking to the media, TAAI President Jyoti Mayal stated that it was an honour to rekindle the relationship with Sri Lanka and talk more about tourism between India and Sri Lanka.

“I feel Sri Lanka is an extension of India. Sri Lanka is so close in proximity that it could be a weekend destination for all our travellers. As the visas are very easy to procure for Sri Lanka, this is a huge opportunity to showcase Sri Lanka in all the ways it could be. There is actually a huge scope to enhance that,” Mayal said.

Jyoti Mayal further stated that the event will host business sessions between both nations, with the participation of agents and all the stakeholders of  Sri Lanka. 

She further stated that TAAI will bring in 450 top Indian Travèl agents and 50 Travel Trade Media Personnel.

“Sri Lanka has everything to offer, including adventure tourism, wellness, conferences, weddings, and film and religious tourism,” she said.

Jyoti Mayal added that discussions are also underway to create Sri Lanka as a hub to connect all other countries, pointing out that tourism drives the economy of a country, including India and Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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