Media event celebrating 10th anniversary of Belt and Road Initiative and China-Sri Lanka tourism cooperation held in Beijing

On May 22, a media meeting jointly sponsored by the Sri Lankan Embassy and the Ministry of Tourism and Lands of Sri Lanka was held in Beijing celebrating the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The meeting was attended by Palitha Kohona, Sri Lankan Ambassador to China, Harin Fernando, Sri Lankan Minister of Tourism and Lands, Chalaka Gajabahu, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board, and Thisum Jayasuriya, Chairman of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau. Nearly 70 media outlets, exhibition companies, and travel agencies participated in the event.

Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to China, delivers a speech at a media meeting celebrating the 10th anniversary of Belt and Road Initiative and China-Sri Lanka tourism cooperation in Beijing, April 17, 2023. (Gu Siyu/Guangming Picture)

“We treasure the strong bonds of friendship with our dear friend China, a relationship that goes back over 2000 years. Over time, we have stood by each other, whether confronting challenges domestically or internationally. We will never forget the solidarity demonstrated by China when we really needed international support”, said Ambassador Palitha Kohona at the opening of the meeting, who also extended appreciation to the Chinese government for having included Sri Lanka in the pilot group of twenty countries identified for group travel.

Over the past decades, Sri Lanka and China have established strong economic ties. Bilateral cooperation, including infrastructure projects, has improved connectivity, making Sri Lanka more attractive to tourists from around the world, said Minister Fernando. As Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has been fully developed, it is ready to embrace the Chinese market, he noted.

According to Fernando, Sri Lanka has implemented specialized visa facilitation measures targeting Chinese tourists. The simplified visa process is expected to attract more Chinese tourists.

With the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Lands of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tourism Bureau and the Sri Lankan Embassy and Consulate in China have worked hard to promote Sri Lanka’s tourism resources across China, he said. This meeting is expected to further facilitate tourism cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, for Sri Lanka to occupy a larger share of the Chinese outbound tourism market, and for more Chinese tourists to experience the charm of the beautiful island country.