By Rohit Mitra
New Delhi, Feb 27 (UNI) As fat Indian weddings and big budget Indian productions gain global attention, destination promoters and tourism boards are eyeing a fair share of these markets through dedicated campaigns and promotions.
Participating in the South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange 2026 (SATTE 2026), an annual travel and tourism fair by Informa Markets, at Yashobhoomi, Delhi, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau tried to focus its energy in communicating the unique selling propositions of the ’emerald isle of the Indian Ocean’ to charm Indian weddings and film production customers in a big way.
DM Niroshana, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, in an interaction with UNI said, “As far as the Indian market is concerned, we are focusing on wedding tourism and film tourism. India has very rich and very big film industry. We have exotic locations and the stories. We want Indians to come and shoot in Sri Lanka.”
“Wedding tourism is another segment which has huge demand in India. Wedding parties come in big numbers, they stay for some days and also spend a substantial amounts at the destination. We want them to come Sri Lanka. For Indian tourists Sri Lanka is a specialized destination, it is foreign yet quiet similar to India. So our Indian visitors can feel at home there.”
Niroshana added that the tourism bureau is trying to get concessions from airline companies for bulk wedding tourist parties from India.
“We are working towards getting air travel concessions and also want tax cuts on some merchandise so that we become an attractive shopping destination,” he explained.
He explained that Sri Lanka offers a world of varied experiences within a very short span of time.
“In Sri Lanka, within a span of 1-2 hours you can reach a totally different climate and environment,” he said.
Galle is a beach destination, but within a few hours you can reach Ella, which is a mountainous and forest destination, he informed.
Similarly, Nuwara Eliya which is very cold is right next to that. Anuradhapura is an ancient city while Colombo which is just around 4 hours away is totally different. Jafna offers authentic Tamil culture and houses a lot of Hindu temples, he added, explaining the sheer diversity that the island nation presents to visitors.
“All places are just a few hours from one another, so you get several varied experiences in Sri Lanka within a short span of time.”
He said that Sri Lanka is constantly looking to provide better tourism experiences to the visitors.
“Last year tourism contributed 3.2 per cent of the GDP, we want the proportion to rise. We are encouraging the private sector to invest in tourism. We are also focusing on improving the quality of tourism and in ensuring the upmost safety of the tourists. Already various reputed observes like Lonely Planet, BBC, CNN, Condé Nast have identified SL as an excellent destination, we want to further build on that positive reputation,” Niroshana said.
