First ever Colombo International Shopping Festival underway

Colombo this week played host to its first ever shopping festival, tipped to be on par with Dubai and Singapore festivals, five years down the line, tourism industry officials said.

Addressing a media briefing at the Sri Lanka Institute of Hotel Management ( SLITHM) the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara said that this event has been organised based on a request from the Sri Lanka Retailers Association ( SLRA) with an investment of Rs.50 million allocated to the Tourism and Christian Affairs Ministry in the last budget.

The event titled the Colombo International Shopping Festival will run from October 1 – November 15 with all retail outlets under the SLRA and outside it joining in the mega event that would also be spread to locations like Galle.

He explained that an aggressive campaign would be launched internationally with television campaigns, digital advertising campaigns in a number of regional countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Maldives.

The digital campaign would be kicked off on Google, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and other social media sites, he said.

Mr. Nanayakkara said this event would be the start of a calendar event Sri Lanka would position to its neighbouring countries.

The event is said to be part and parcel of the Sri Lanka Tourism Action Plan 2020 and extended to 2025 that would receive Cabinet approval as well.

Tourism and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said that a similar shopping experience would be opened up in the future in the Fort area when a number of old building structures would be renovated to house today’s shopping malls.

Further, he pointed out that the General Post Office (GPO) building too would be given up for a luxury hotel and the ground floor allocated space for a high end shopping experience.

SLRA Chairman Hussain Sidique told the gathering that the event was being held on the theme of “One Island and One Big Mall” with the aim of attracting a larger crowd during the off peak season for travellers in October when more hotel rooms and airline seats were easily available.

He pointed out, “We have an edge for certain quality products better than Indian shopping with a 1.5 km sq area of shopping malls to be had within the next three years.”

Colombo Inter nat i o n a l Shopping Festival Convenor Ashoka Peiris said that while this would be the first ever event of this nature held in Colombo it would be similar to the Dubai and Singapore shopping festivals in five years’ time.

He pointed out that with retail cost in Sri Lanka only four per cent of turnover compared to countries like Singapore where the retail cost is about 15 per cent of turnover, Sri Lanka can sell its products at a much cheaper price than Singapore.

SriLankan Airlines, the Hoteliers Association of Sri Lanka, Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators, Sri Lanka City Hoteliers Association, and the Export Development Board are part of the event.