Sri Lanka launches influencer campaign to boost tourism

Sri Lanka has launched a 12-day international influencer tour aimed at promoting the country to millions of potential travellers worldwide through social media. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, said the familiarization tour will take place from July 6 to 17, bringing together leading digital content creators from Australia and Indonesia. The influencers will visit destinations including Negombo, Dambulla, Pasikudah, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala, Galle and Colombo, creating content highlighting Sri Lanka’s beaches, wildlife, heritage, landscapes, cuisine and local experiences. Among those participating is social media creator Ondreaz Lopez, who has 3.1 million Instagram followers and 19.8 million TikTok followers. Other Australian creators include Alec Golinger, Jessica Stevens, Ben Mackay, Maddison Lambert, Shannon Thomson and Olivia Jade Thomson, while Indonesian travel creator Masniari Rizky Putri Pasaribu will also take part in the programme. According to SLTPB, the influencers will produce travel, lifestyle and cultural content that is expected to reach millions of people across multiple digital platforms, helping to boost Sri Lanka’s visibility as a travel destination. The tourism body said the initiative forms part of its digital marketing strategy and has been supported by hotels, transport providers and other tourism industry partners. SLTPB said the campaign aims to strengthen Sri Lanka’s global tourism image through authentic storytelling by internationally recognised content creators and encourage more visitors to choose the island as a travel destination. (Newswire)