WTA Chair ZHANG Xu Engages in Key Talks with Sri Lanka’s Secretary of State for Tourism and Lands, Mr. H.M.B.P Herath

In a significant move to bolster tourism cooperation, WTA Chair ZHANG Xu, leading a delegation at the invitation of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism and Lands, met with the Secretary of State for Tourism and Lands, Mr. H.M.B.P Herath, on the afternoon of December 5, 2023.

During the meeting, ZHANG Xu lauded the historical and ongoing tourism collaboration between China and Sri Lanka. He highlighted the long-standing friendly exchanges dating back from the great monk Faxian to the famous voyager ZHENG He, which have enriched the history of interactions between the two nations. ZHANG Xu emphasized the immense potential for tourism cooperation, noting that China was once Sri Lanka’s second-largest source of tourists. In the post-pandemic era, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has made significant efforts to attract Chinese tourists. The Chair warmly welcomes and congratulates the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau for joining the WTA as part of the efforts aiming to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the tourism sectors and enhance mutual understanding and people-to-people bonds of both countries. ZHANG Xu also briefed Mr. Herath on the WTA’s progress over the past six years in brand building, tourism for poverty alleviation, industry research, and international exchange and cooperation.

Mr. Herath expressed his greetings for the visit of ZHANG Xu and his delegation to Sri Lanka. He acknowledged the high importance Sri Lanka places on the Chinese market and outlined a series of measures to revive and develop inbound tourism from China. The Ministry of Tourism and Lands of Sri Lanka actively supports the Tourism Promotion Bureau’s membership in the WTA. He is looking forward to leveraging the WTA’s extensive platform for collaboration with tourism businesses and institutions from China and around the world, in the backdrop of joint efforts to foster the steady recovery and sustainable development of the global tourism industry, said the Secretary.

Following the meeting, a small-scale symposium was held, where ZHANG Xu, along with invited representatives from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, hotel associations, tourism enterprises, and research institutions, exchanged views on topics such as tourism product and route development and high-end tourism between China and Sri Lanka.