SRI Lanka’s hotels are gearing up for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in the country from November 8 to 17, an event expected to provide a tremendous boost to Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
So far more than 4,000 rooms have been booked for the summit, which will see 52 heads of state including Britain’s Prince Charles, their delegations and up to 1,000 journalists in attendance.
The summit will be the largest gathering of world leaders in Sri Lanka since the Non Aligned Summit in 1976 in Colombo, attended by leaders of 86 countries.
Colombo City Hotels Association president, K Shanthikumar, said delegates would stay an average of six to seven nights in the country. Hotels to host top dignitaries and attendees include Hilton Colombo, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, The Kingsbury, and Hotel Galadari. City hotels such as Ramada Colombo, Taj Samudra Colombo and Galle Face Hotel are also receiving a quick makeover, while sections of these hotels will be opened specially for the summit.
The summit will take place at Sri Lanka’s largest conference venue, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, currently under renovation but due to open in time for the meeting.
During the summit, related business, youth and civil society meetings will take place simultaneously at different venues, generating revenue and publicity for the country, said Vipula Wanigasekera, general manager of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau. Side events are also scheduled for Hambantota and Hikkaduwa in south Sri Lanka.
“The presence of such a large number of international media alone gives us a great opportunity to profile Sri Lanka at its doorstep,” he said.
Journalists covering the week-long event will be also taken on short fam trips to the popular tourist areas of Galle and Kandy.
Shanthikumar said this was a boost not only for tourism but also other investments.
“Fifty-two leaders can see the country and (its products) for themselves and word-of-mouth publicity is much better than any other promotion,” he added.
