By Adnan Hameed TWA ______ 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 featured authentic Sri Lankan food and Ceylon tea. The internationally renowned Sri Lankan dance troupe, Chandana Wickramasinghe and the Dancers Guild of Sri Lanka, along with Sri Lankan singers Mahesha Sandamali and Sonal Prabhashitha and "Snaayu" musical band, also performed during the Food Festival. 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 festival attracted over 1,000 guests, 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 reach. It is noteworthy to mention that Pakistan ranked 18th in total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in June 2024. Further, from January to June 2024, Pakistani tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka increased to 6,330 from 2,833 in the corresponding period of 2023, marking a 65.1% increase, which is higher than the average increase in all tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, which stands at 61.7%.