Sri Lanka is looking to China as a key market in its recovery efforts following the Easter Sunday bombings, with trade players rolling out specially tailored tours for Chinese travellers at the recent China International Travel Mart (CITM) 2019.
Speaking to TTG Asia, Nawawini Travels’ managing director Rasika Rajapaksa said: “China was a strong market for us, but it has been a bit slow in recent months. We hope it will pick back up soon, so at CITM, we will be selling special packages targeting the Chinese market.”
These include tours featuring visits to an elephant orphanage, Sigiriya Lion Rock, and a beach resort stay. “Our tours include one to two nights at the beach, which is a must-have for many Chinese travellers. We see this (demand) especially for groups from Kunming, Chengdu and Xi’an,” elaborated Rajapaksa.
To extend its reach in China, Nawawini Travels has hired a dedicated manager for the Chinese market based in Wuhan, and also has staff based in Kunming.
“We want to share the message that Sri Lanka is very safe and that travel here would not be a problem. China is a very important market to us and we hope that our tourism numbers will be able to come back soon.”
Also representing Sri Lanka at CITM 2019 along with Nawamini Travels was the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
