A group of Indian media personnel including Journalists, bloggers and influencers arrived in Colombo recently to develop bilateral connections and promote Sri Lanka and help it to keep its status as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
A media crew of 17 journalists, bloggers and influencers participated in this tour, as they represented mainstream Media houses such as the ‘Times of India’,’The Hindu’, White Hat Media (Pvt) Ltd. National Geography Traveler, YouTube channel - Tamil Navigation, Instagram – Malayali Yathtrakal, dark angel, Surbhi – Travel and Lifestyle blogger, Explore with ecocats, lemonicks.com, etc. The Media crew was divided into three groups as to cover Heritage, Southerncoast, and Adventure. This was the first time where a media delegation was made to report on separate sections on one tour, and promoting tourism in a more progressive way.
In reporting heritage, they visited places such as Ridi Viharaya, Minneriya, Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Dambulla Cave Temple, Pollonnaruwa, Spice Gardens, Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Temple of Tooth Relic, Cultural dance performances, Giragama Tea Factory, Embekke Devalaya in Kandy and Negombo beaches.
The group which covered the Southern belt of Sri Lanka and had the opportunity covering the Yala National Park, Hambantota, Galle and Mirissa. They also had the opportunity of getting involved in activities including visiting the Kanneliya rain forest, the Lunugaga estate, DutchFort - Galle, and whale watching at Mirissa.
The Lunugaga estate took a special place as this was the Country house of the renowned Sri Lankan Architect Geoffrey Bawa. En route the Media crew visited the Kande Vihara, where the 160 feet tall Buddha statue is believed to be one of the tallest in the world. Another attraction was whale and Dolphin watching experience in Mirissa, where they could view various species of whales and Dolphins performing acrobatics in the warm Indian ocean.