Cinnamon’s ‘Bring a Friend Home’ campaign receives boost from visa exemption
The ‘Bring a Friend Home’ campaign launched by Cinnamon received a further boost with the Sri Lankan government’s announcement of visa fee exemption for 48 countries with effect from 01st August 2019.
The news makes way for a multitude of religious and cultural tourist attractions to be held in Sri Lanka in the coming months, including the famed Kandy Esala Perahera in August, giving a jumpstart to the innovative tourism promotional campaign introduced just days prior to the announcement.
“We commend the Cabinet for their approval of the visa fee exemption, and making Sri Lanka even more accessible to potential tourists from 48 countries, including some of our biggest source markets,” stated Dileep Mudadeniya, Vice President John Keells Group, Head of Brand Marketing Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, CEO Cinnamon Life Mall.
“This announcement perfectly aligns with Cinnamon’s Bring a Friend Home campaign and our efforts to engage both locals and foreign travellers in revamping Sri Lanka’s tourism appeal to a wider, global audience. Sri Lanka is ready to welcome the world, and now we can give them a few good reasons to visit.”
Launched on 30th July, Bring a Friend Home gives Sri Lankan visa holders and expats in the country an opportunity to invite their friends residing overseas to Sri Lanka, creating some much needed momentum in the country’s tourism industry revival. Bring a Friend Home communicates a sense of urgency among Sri Lankans to take ownership of the country’s recovery process post-april, and is aligned with the overarching national agenda of promoting Sri Lanka as a safe place for tourists to visit.
The campaign is valid for travels from 1st August - 15th December, and has a range of discounted tour packages for friends to choose from. Once the trip to Sri Lanka is complete, both the sponsor and invitee have a chance to win amazing prizes; The grand prize for the sponsor is a gift voucher worth Rs. 499,999 from Colombo Jewellery Stores, and a choice between a 1-year stay at a luxury Cinnamon Life apartment or a 7-day stay for 2 individuals at any Cinnamon property for 3 consecutive years. The visiting friend gets to join in the excitement with a chance to win a 5-night stay for 2 individuals at any Cinnamon property in the Maldives and a stunning Sapphire Ring worth Rs.1,000,000 by Colombo Jewellery Stores.
Bring a Friend Home follows a simple 4-step process; Register Invite – Accept – Travel – Register. Sri Lankans or expats living in Sri Lanka with a resident visa must first visit the campaign website www. bringafriendhome.com and register for the opportunity to invite one or more friends living overseas. Customizable and engaging content is available on the website for sharing and inviting via email, Whatsapp, Facebook or Twitter. The invitee – any foreign passport holder or Sri Lankan expat – can then proceed to accept the invitation by purchasing one or more packages listed on the campaign website. The invitee must travel to Sri Lanka between 1st August – 15th December, and register to enter the raffle draw once the trip is complete.
Cinnamon presents Bring A Friend Home In association with So Sri Lanka, Cinnamon Life and Kapruka, with Sri Lankan Airlines as the Airlines partner, Triad as the Creative and Website partner, Colombo Jewellery Stores as the Jewellery Partner, emarketing Eye as the Digital Partner, Cinnamon Air as the Domestic Airline Partner, while supported by Positive Sri Lanka and Love Sri Lanka. It is a promotional campaign is initiated with the overarching objective of reviving tourism in Sri Lanka.