Twenty-eight Chinese journalists and travel writers were in Sri Lanka last week promoting Sri Lanka as an ideal holiday destination to lure more visitors from the orient.
China remains a key source market to Sri Lanka, as a country which brings a large number of tourist arrivals each year. The total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka up to June 2019 was 1,008,449 out of which 97,560 were Chinese.
Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga during a press briefing in Beijing, in conjunction with the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) 2019, updated over 60 leading media houses on the situation in Sri Lanka. The invitation was extended to journalists representing three main cities in China namely Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou as part of the familiarization tour this week. 
This media delegation comprises of a mix of journalists ranging from print media, radio, TV, electronic, social media and travel magazines.
The Chinese journalists were taken to Sigirya Kandy Nuwara Eliya, Tea factories and tea plantations, Yala, Ella, Galle and Colombo. A boat ride on the river Madhu was also scheduled in the itinerary. A Chinese speaking guide was designated to the crew to ensure that they are not only well informed but educated of the sites they were seeing.
The press trip is a response to the negative publicity over visiting Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the recent 21/4 incidents and convey the message to the world that Sri Lanka is a safe destination to travel. Chinese tour operators had cited that there needs to be a concentrated brand building effort particularly through the media and also to highlight that Sri Lanka is safe to travel as there are many solo travelers to the island from China.
Journalists on the tour includes reporters and travel writers from Lonely Planet China, People’s Daily, National Geographic China, Global Times, Xinhuanet, Hainan TV, Global Times, and Mini holiday. This tour is arranged in collaboration with industry stakeholders.
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