The Sri Lanka Consulate General in Karachi in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and Cinnamon Colombo Hotels recently organized the Sri Lanka Food Festival at the Avari Tower in Karachi and Avari Hotel in Lahore. The festival showcased authentic Sri Lankan food and Ceylon tea.
The objective of the Sri Lanka Food Festival in Pakistan was to highlight the rich and diverse flavors of Sri Lankan cuisine to Pakistani audiences, generate media publicity, and promote Sri Lanka tourism in Pakistan.
The internationally renowned Sri Lankan dance troupe Chandana Wickramasinghe & the Dancers Guild of Sri Lanka, along with Sri Lankan singers Mahesha Sandamali and Sonal Prabhashitha, and “Snaayu” musical band performed during the Food Festival.
The festival attracted over 1,000 visitors including prominent media outlets, tour companies, government officials, businesses, diplomats, and other VIPs in Pakistan. The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Pakistan Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Karachi Jagath Abeywarna together with General Manager of Avari Tower in Karachi Hans-Joerg Kreitner, and General Manager of Avari Hotel in Lahore Olivier Francais attended the opening ceremonies.
The Food Festival was part of a series of activities to promote Sri Lanka tourism in Pakistan. The event received extensive publicity from major media outlets in Pakistan, underscoring its significance and uniqueness.
Pakistan was ranked 18th in terms of total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in June 2024. There was a significant increase in Pakistani tourist arrivals from 2,833 in the first half of 2023 to 6, 330 in the same period of 2024. This represents a notable 65.1% increase, which surpasses the average increase in all tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, currently standing at 61.7%.
