By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan, High Commissioner to Pakistan, H.E. Fred Senevirathne, held a meeting with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Tourism and CEO of Centaurus Group/Mövenpick Hotel, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges.
Sri Lanka, Pakistan explore new avenues to boost tourism, cultural cooperation
The meeting, held at Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan’s office in Islamabad, focused on expanding tourism collaboration between Sri Lanka and Pakistan and exploring new initiatives to promote greater interaction between the two countries.
High Commissioner Senevirathne was warmly received by Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan and his staff upon arrival.
During the cordial and constructive meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on strengthening longstanding bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation in the tourism sector.
The Sri Lankan High Commissioner briefed the Pakistani tourism adviser on Sri Lanka’s current political and economic situation, while highlighting the island nation’s diverse tourism potential and ongoing promotional initiatives aimed at attracting international visitors.
He also outlined plans to organize a Sri Lanka Tea Tasting Day, Sri Lanka Food Festival and Sri Lanka Tourism Road Show in Islamabad.
The initiatives are aimed at introducing Sri Lanka’s renowned tea, cuisine, cultural traditions, heritage and diverse tourism destinations to the Pakistani public, travel industry and other stakeholders.
The discussions also covered opportunities to expand cooperation in religious, medical and adventure tourism, areas that offer significant potential for increasing tourist exchanges between the two countries.
The two sides further explored the possibility of establishing Travel Operators and Student Exchange Programmes to facilitate professional, educational and cultural interaction.
High Commissioner Senevirathne also proposed a Chefs Training and Exchange Programme, which would provide an opportunity for culinary professionals from both countries to share expertise and showcase the rich and distinctive food traditions of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Welcoming the proposed initiatives, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan suggested the development of 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 Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Such cooperation, he noted, could facilitate cultural exchanges, joint exhibitions, professional expertise-sharing and collaborative efforts to preserve the rich historical heritage of both nations.
Both sides expressed their commitment to identifying new avenues of cooperation in tourism, culture, education and institutional exchanges.
They emphasized that increased collaboration in these fields could play an important role in strengthening people-to-people contacts and further deepening the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
A. Christy Ruban, Head of Chancery of the High Commission of Sri Lanka, also attended the meeting.
