The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit 2017 will be held in Sri Lanka from May 18 to 21, 2017.
The event is to be hosted by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau in collaboration with Jetwing Blue Negombo. Representatives from 34 countries will be participating in this annual summit hosted by Sri Lanka.
Christian Affairs and Tourism Minister John Amaratunge said the objective of having this summit is to promote Sri Lanka as a popular destination. PATA Summit comes at a crucial time just as the country is doubling back from its decline due to the airport runway renovations.
“The tourism industry is booming in the country despite the slight set back for Sri Lankan Airlines in the first four months of this year. However we see that the trend is back on its upward momentum these last three months and there has been a 3% growth in within these last three months against last year,” he said.
PATA is a non-profit organisation responsible for the development of travel in the Asia Pacific region. It consists of 95 government, state and city tourist bodies, 29 international airlines, airports and cruise liners and 63 educational institutions. Tourism Promotion Bureau officials said the event will help increasing Sri Lanka’s prominence in the tourism industry.
Amaratunge told the Daily News that through the summit, the the international community will be able to see what the country has to offer. “We want to make Sri Lanka a popular destination.The country as it is has many perks as it is. We have the finest diversity, best beaches, trained staff in the hospitality industry and so much more. We are confident that we will be able to surpass our target 2.5 million with the exposure this event will provide us,” he said.
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