ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (IN): Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan H.E. Fred Senevirathne met with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Tourism and CEO of Centaurus Group/Mövenpick Hotel, in Islamabad to explore new avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation in tourism, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges.The meeting focused on expanding tourism collaboration between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and developing initiatives to promote greater interaction and connectivity between the peoples of the two countries.
During the cordial and constructive discussions, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner highlighted Sri Lanka’s diverse tourism potential and ongoing promotional efforts to attract international visitors. He also briefed the Pakistani tourism adviser on the country’s current political and economic situation.High Commissioner Senevirathne shared plans to organize a Sri Lanka Tea Tasting Day, Sri Lanka Food Festival and Sri Lanka Tourism Road Show in Islamabad, aimed at showcasing Sri Lanka’s world-renowned tea, cuisine, cultural traditions, heritage and diverse tourist destinations to the Pakistani public, travel industry and stakeholders.
The two sides also discussed opportunities to promote religious, medical and adventure tourism, which hold significant potential for increasing tourist exchanges between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.Proposals for establishing Travel Operators and Student Exchange Programmes were also discussed to facilitate professional, educational and cultural interaction. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner further proposed a Chefs Training and Exchange Programme to enable culinary professionals from both countries to exchange expertise and showcase their rich and distinctive food traditions.
Welcoming the proposals, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan suggested preparing an Annual Tourism Promotional Events Calendar to ensure better coordination and continuity of tourism-related activities between the two countries.He also proposed exploring Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between museums and cultural institutions in Pakistan and Sri Lanka to promote cultural exchanges, joint exhibitions, professional expertise-sharing and collaborative efforts for the preservation of historical heritage.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to identifying new areas of cooperation in tourism, culture, education and institutional exchanges, emphasizing that stronger collaboration in these sectors would help enhance people-to-people contacts and further deepen the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.A. Christy Ruban, Head of Chancery of the High Commission of Sri Lanka, also attended the meeting.
