Fifty Sri Lankan tourism representatives met more than 250 travel agents and tour operators in Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth during a nine-day B2B programme.
A panel discussion forms part of Sri Lanka Tourism's Sydney B2B networking session on 3 September 2026, one stop in a five-city Australia and New Zealand trade roadshow.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The nine-day programme ran from 31 August to 9 September 2026 across Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
- Fifty representatives from Sri Lankan DMCs, hotels and resort groups met more than 250 travel agents and tour operators.
- Christchurch and Adelaide hosted Sri Lanka Tourism B2B networking sessions for the first time.
- The programme combined trade meetings with media engagement, destination presentations, cultural elements and discussion of air connectivity and future partnerships.
(NEWS) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, 2026-Oct-02 — /Travel PR News/ — A nine-day, five-city trade roadshow has given Sri Lankan tourism businesses direct access to more than 250 travel agents and tour operators across Australia and New Zealand, as Sri Lanka Tourism works to deepen relationships with two long-haul source markets.
The programme, organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), ran from 31 August to 9 September 2026 and moved through Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Fifty representatives from Sri Lankan destination management companies, hotels and resort groups joined the roadshow with updated product portfolios and seasonal packages for the Australian and New Zealand trade.
Rather than focusing only on consumer promotion, the series was built around direct meetings with the people who assemble, recommend and sell holidays. According to an official Sri Lanka Tourism update, participants discussed itineraries, pricing, destination highlights and potential supplier relationships, alongside press conferences, media interviews, destination presentations and networking sessions.
New Zealand programme opens in Christchurch and Auckland
The roadshow began in Christchurch on 31 August, the first time Sri Lanka Tourism had staged one of its B2B networking sessions in the city. Prasanna Gamage, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, addressed the gathering on the importance of New Zealand travellers to the destination, while Dr. Hamish Campbell, MP for Ilam, encouraged closer links between the two tourism industries.
Buddhika Hewawasam, chairman of SLTPB, presented tourism opportunities and new visitor experiences in Sri Lanka. The Christchurch session also included cultural performances, a question-and-answer segment and raffle draws.
Auckland followed on 1 September, where more than 50 local travel agents and tour operators met the Sri Lankan delegation. Sir Anand Satyanand, former Governor-General of New Zealand, attended as chief guest. Travel personalities Karena Bird and Kasey Bird spoke about their experiences in Sri Lanka, while Scotty Stevenson of TVNZ contributed a media perspective.
Australian leg puts trade links and connectivity in focus
The programme shifted to Sydney on 3 September. Australian travel trade representatives met Sri Lankan suppliers for business discussions, while a press conference and media interviews brought together Yasoja Gunasekara, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Hewawasam and Ravindran V. of SriLankan Airlines. Luana Soares Ostling also shared her experiences of travelling in Sri Lanka.
During the Sydney event, Hewawasam highlighted Sri Lanka’s tourism offering and referred to a new public-relations and digital campaign for the Australian market. The programme also included cultural performances, a Q&A session and raffle draws.
Adelaide hosted the next session on 7 September, marking another first for the roadshow format. Travel agents, media and social-media representatives joined Sri Lankan tourism stakeholders for an event that opened with the national anthems of Sri Lanka and Australia, the traditional lighting of an oil lamp and a Magul Bera performance.
Participants included Ruwan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka’s deputy minister of tourism; Gunasekara; Hewawasam; Dennis Bunnik, joint CEO of Bunnik Tours and former chair of CATO; C. L. Gasnawage, assistant director of marketing for Australia and New Zealand; and Ravindran V. of SriLankan Airlines. Their discussions placed particular emphasis on air connectivity and closer tourism cooperation.
The series concluded in Perth on 9 September, where trade representatives held a final round of meetings with Sri Lankan counterparts. Media interviews and a press conference involved senior representatives from Sri Lanka Tourism, SriLankan Airlines, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Australia and the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Western Australia.
Speakers included Ranasinghe, Janitha Kodithuwakku, deputy minister of port and civil aviation, Gunasekara, Hewawasam and Ravindran V. The discussions again focused on strengthening tourism ties, increasing destination awareness and improving air connectivity.
A trade platform built around direct supplier access
Across the five stops, the roadshow gave Australian and New Zealand travel sellers access to a broad cross-section of Sri Lanka’s accommodation and destination-management sector in one structured programme. SLTPB said the direct meetings were intended to support new itineraries, packages, supplier relationships and longer-term commercial cooperation.
The format also blended trade activity with destination storytelling. Traditional dance, Magul Bera performances, oil-lamp ceremonies and destination videos were used alongside business meetings and media activity, allowing the delegation to present elements of Sri Lankan culture while discussing tourism products and commercial opportunities.
For Sri Lanka, the practical value of the roadshow lies in what happens after the events: whether travel sellers turn the new contacts, pricing discussions and destination knowledge into bookable programmes. By concentrating 50 Sri Lankan suppliers and more than 250 travel trade professionals across five cities, the series created a sizeable base of direct relationships for future cooperation in Australia and New Zealand.
