The inaugural edition of the Southern MICE Expo, organised by Sri Lanka Convention Bureau at Bentota in southern Sri Lanka, concluded successfully on Tuesday with over 100 buyers from 15 nations meeting with dozens of Sri Lankan vendors. The buyers expressed happiness with their meetings and expect to bring a variety of events to Sri Lanka.

With over 100 international buyers from 15-odd countries around the world and 113 local suppliers, including hotels, event spaces, event organisers as well as Destination Management Companies and other stakeholders of the travel industry, the first edition of Southern MICE Expo organised by Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) at Bentota in southern Sri Lanka was a resounding success.

Inaugurating the plenary session of the Expo at Bentota on Tuesday, Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism of Sri Lanka, said that over the past two years, his ministry had put in a concerted effort to position Sri Lanka on the global map as a premier MICE destination.

“In order to achieve this, we have organised several MICE Expos, almost back to back. After a virtual Expo in December 2021, right in the midst of the pandemic, we organised the Colombo MICE Expo, which was nationwide, and the Jaffna MICE Expo, focussed on promoting the northern region as a MICE destination, this is the third MICE Expo we are organising within a year. These repeat actions have led to a greater awareness and recall value of Sri Lanka as a MICE destination around the world,’’ Fernando said while inaugurating the meeting.

Fernando added that southern Sri Lanka was one of the best known tourism destinations in the entire country and offered a mix of pristine beaches, rich culture and heritage as well as nature and wildlife. Moreover, the area is also the hub of water sports in Sri Lanka, the Minister added.

“Once you are here, you realise that hosting MICE in Sri Lanka is not just about organising an event or a gathering, it is an entire experience thanks to the warm hospitality that we Sri Lankans are renowned around the world for,’’ Fernando said.

Thisum Jayasuriya, Chairman of SLCB, said that the success of the previous MICE Expos had led to a demand for this event to be held in the southern part of the island nation and that this positioning of Sri Lanka as a global MICE haven would continue to be strengthened over the years as well.

“We want to showcase different parts of the country. My expectation is that this Expo will promote and send more MICE tourists to the southern part of Sri Lanka. We will keep this activity going and next year, even though the place where the MICE Expo will be held has not yet been finalised, it will be bigger, with more delegates representing more countries,’’ Jayasuriya told India Outbound on the sidelines of the Expo.

Jayasuriya added that the board will continue its follow up activities after the Expo in order to ensure that the discussions carry on even after the Expo is over and the delegates have returned home. With India being the biggest market, SLCB will soon be visiting India, he said.

“We will have a roadshow in India in June. We are going to go to Tier II cities in Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. And India is the country where we will continue to do promotions throughout the year because the majority of our MICE travel originates in India,’’ he said.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, too, actively participated in the Southern MICE Expo and according to SLTPB Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu, the country’s push towards MICE tourism is in order to diversify the tourism segments and balance the industry, especially with the arrival of new hotel and event properties that have the requisite capacity to host large events. And Gajabahu is extremely gung ho about the future and certain of leaving the difficult past of Sri Lanka behind.

“In 2024, our target is 2.3 million, which was the highest ever we had in 2018. So we want to go to that target. But if all goes well, I am confident that we can even come close to 2.5 million, the highest ever,’’ Gajabahu told India Outbound.

He added that besides India, another key market, China, was set to boom this year. “Key markets last year were India, Russia and then UK, France, Germany, Australia and then other countries like Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Korea, Japan. China opened up only in April and it was it was a slow start. But this year the numbers are looking pretty good from China. Now China is in the number five position,’’ Gajabahu added.

Buyers enthused by meetings, charmed by Sri Lankan hospitality

Most of the buyers were extremely happy to be present at the event, not only because of the quality of the meetings that they had with the Sri Lankan suppliers and their potential partners, but with the entire organisation and the extremely warm hospitality extended by their hosts.

Ayush Sharma is Director of Ceremony, an event and wedding planner, based in Noida, near Delhi. Sharma says he was extremely impressed by the quality of the event and the entire organisation that went into planning and executing it.

“The day has been very fruitful for us. I was looking to meet with large, high-end hotels and my meetings with both Cinnamon and Marriott went off very well. We have some events lined up in December and January and these hotels were very helpful in providing venues and food part. Some of our clients in the very high-end segment wanted to bring their own chefs and the hotels here have been able to be flexible on that as well. And properties like Taj already have Indian chefs and they are very well placed to host weddings for us in the future and hopefully everything goes well so that we will be able to bring some weddings here,’’ Sharma tells India Outbound.

He says that not the meetings were well-planned but he was impressed by his counterparts as well. “The main plus point was that the major hotels here had done their homework on us also. So, they knew exactly what we do and what we need,’’ adds Sharma.

Anthony Amalraj is Managing Director of Silverline Global Tours, a travel firm based in Chennai. “Though my company was already doing some leisure tours to Sri Lanka, I was looking to enhance my knowledge of the tourism offer in southern Sri Lanka, to meet with potential partners here and I have found the meetings to be very well organised which not only connected him with the right partners even within the short period of our meetings here,’’ Amalraj tells India Outbound.

Anjum Lokhandwala is Director of Ark Travel Group, a diversified travel and representation company based in Mumbai. “Though my primary focus has been on FIT and GITs, but now we would like to organise some MICE groups to Sri Lanka as well. I had very good meetings with the hoteliers and vendors and they have very good offerings for us,’’ Lokhandwala tells India Outbound.

“There are a lot of new products and destinations in Sri Lanka, because for us Sri Lanka was only Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. But after my meetings with suppliers today, I realise that Sri Lanka has a lot more to offer besides these three destinations,’’ Lokhandwala adds.

Honey Walia is Director of A2Zee Travels, an events company based in Chandigarh. Walia says that he was very happy with the arrangements that were made for the event and the meetings that he had during the Southern MICE Expo.

“I have been to many other Expos and fam trips. But this one has been organised so well and we have been received extremely well and with very warm hospitality. I have enjoyed every moment of my visit here,’’ Walia tells India Outbound.

“I have come to Sri Lanka as we are planning some weddings here in January 2025 and I had very fruitful meetings regarding that. I am certain that we will start our activities in Sri Lanka very soon. It is close by, easy to access, very beautiful and with a very warm hospitality, as well as very cost-effective,’’ Walia adds.

It is not just the Indian agents and partners who were satisfied with participation in the Expo. Travel professionals from other countries also expressed their happiness with the event and its outcomes.

Kiran Aslam is Director of Vagatales, a travel firm based in Islamabad, was one of the nine agents from Pakistan attending the Southern MICE Expo. Aslam says she is extremely happy with the visit and the meetings.

“Attending Southern MICE Expo 2024 was an exhilarating experience! The Expo provided an unparalleled opportunity to engage with local vendors from Sri Lanka’s vibrant travel and hotel industries. We connected with international media professionals from top travel magazines and gaining valuable insights and exposure. This amazing platform highlighted the diverse experiences Sri Lanka offers, whether you’re planning a family vacation, a solo adventure, a romantic honeymoon, or a corporate incentive trip,’’ Aslam tells India Outbound.

“The Expo truly showcased the magic of Sri Lanka, making it a must-attend event for travel enthusiasts and industry professionals alike.
Additionally, the Expo facilitated robust and productive networking with representatives from neighbouring countries specially India, Bangladesh, Türkiye and Australia. It was a must-attend for anyone looking to dive deep into Sri Lanka’s travel wonders and forge meaningful industry connections,’’ Aslam adds.

After an intensive day of business meetings, the 115 travel trade professionals and media representatives from 15 countries have now begun a two-day exploration of the magic of southern Sri Lanka, with the discovery of Galle, Hambantota and Yala National Park, among others. The fam trip comes to an end on May 31.