Sri Lanka’s Indian MICE campaign has borne fruit

A DESTINATION marketing campaign by the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) earlier this year that covered seven cities in India has resulted in several wins.

According to the SLCB, at least four incentive groups of various sizes have been scheduled for August and September. They are: Ambuja Cement, 660 pax; JK Ansell (Raymond), 55 pax; Bombay Chartered Accountants Society, 150 pax; and Kesari Tours Pune, 400 pax.

Some of the recent promotions by the bureau were directed at southern India, specifically Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, as these cities are merely a few hours of flight time away from Colombo.

“The south is India’s economic dynamo and this is where the action is,” said SLCB’s chairman Prema Cooray, who had also earlier told TTGmice e-Weekly that the bureau’s focus in 2016 is “simply to concentrate on India”.

He opined that there is good connectivity thanks to SriLankan Airlines’ 100 weekly flights to various Indian cities.

Moreover, the scheduled March 2017 removal of minimum rates in five-star hotels, in Colombo and the suburbs, will also be helpful in boosting MICE visitor numbers. Previously, several DMCs have complained that these rates at more than US$125++ per room were too high to attract MICE visitors from India.

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