Sri Lanka Embassy

 

 

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels presented Sri Lanka’s notable economic recovery and emerging opportunities in trade, investment, and tourism sectors to over 35 prominent representatives from the Belgian private sector, on 05 December in the Antwerp Region in Belgium.

Minister (Commercial) of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels, Thavishya Mullegamgoda in her presentation reasoned out “Why Sri Lanka is a Vital Island” for foreign partners. She presented strengths and opportunities in Sri Lanka’s trade, investment, and tourism spheres, while highlighting potential areas for mutual collaborations with the Belgian private sector. She emphasized the importance of strategic location of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, and Antwerp in the Western Europe, and invited Antwerp’s business community to explore Sri Lanka as a destination for expanding economic engagements.

In her remarks, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Antwerp, Monique De Deker Deprez highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential in various sectors that might be interesting to Belgian companies to explore. She elaborated her own recent experiences in Sri Lanka including her factory visits to a few Belgian companies that have invested in Sri Lanka.

The event drew participation from several notable institutions in the Flemish Region of Belgium, including the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the City of Antwerp, Flanders Investment and Trade, Voka Chamber of Commerce in Antwerp. Entrepreneurs representing a cross- section of industries including diamond, tea, apparel, tourism, cigars, logistics, as well as business consultancy, lifestyle projects, renewable energy, and import-export services joined the event, alongside Belgian journalists and other stakeholders.

Antwerp, renowned as one of the world’s most significant seaports, is a hub of the global diamond trade and one of the most important commercial cities in Belgium. Following the success of the event, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels aims to organize more sector-specific business promotional events in Antwerp and the Flanders Region in future.

The event was organized with the support of the economic diplomacy programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels celebrated Christmas at a colourful event held at the Sri Lanka Residence in Brussels on 15 December 2024, with the participation of the Sri Lankan community in Belgium and Luxembourg.

While wishing the Christians home and abroad a joyous Christmas festive season, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Brussels, Chandana Weerasena highlighted that multi-religious and multi-cultural Sri Lankan social fabric celebrates Christmas promoting togetherness, love and respect as a nation that stands better and stronger.

During the celebration, Rev. Fr. Ranil Camillus from the Netherlands spoke of the significance of Christmas for peace and humanity and delivered Christmas prayers.

Secretary from Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Brussels, Rev. Monsignor In Je Hwang extended a message of Christmas with blessings and good wishes for the Sri Lankan community, on behalf of Apostolic Nuncio and the Dean of the Diplomatic Core in Brussels, Rev. Monsignor Franco Coppola.

Members of the Sri Lankan community in Belgium and the Embassy staff sang popular Christmas carols in Sinhala, Tamil, English and Filipino languages. Adding more colour to the event, children performed a nativity play, re-enacting the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Rev.Fr. Anton Rohitha provided a reflection on the key incidents of the nativity play from a modern perspective, pointing out that Jesus’s birth in a humble setting carries a profound theological and symbolic significance - his mission and salvation are for all humanity, particularly the marginalized and oppressed.

The Sri Lanka Residence was decorated with colourful lights and a Christmas tree, while Santa Claus distributed gifts among children, symbolizing the Christmas tradition of giving gifts. The guests enjoyed a Sri Lankan Christmas dinner and tea following the programme.

Embassy of Sri Lanka

Brussels

 

 

 

Sri Lanka was promoted as a premier travel destination at the Holiday Expo Gent held from 29 November to 02 December 2024 at Flanders Expo in Belgium.

The event which attracted well over 40,000 visitors was a B2C event, providing direct access to potential travelers in Belgium planning their holidays.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels, with the support of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, organized the Sri Lanka stand that promoted Sri Lanka’s unique tourism identity featuring tourism-focused banners, videos, brochures and maps.

Minister (Commercial) of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels, Thavishya Mullegamgoda delivered a detailed presentation on Sri Lanka’s authentic and diverse tourism products expanding from pristine beaches and historical sites to wildlife, biodiversity, and eco & sustainable tourism. She also presented Sri Lanka’s specialized tourism segments ranging from wedding tourism, adventure tours to MICE tourism. Visitors were captivated by a video session showcasing the island’s stunning tourism offerings.

The combination of the Holiday Expo and the coinciding Countryside Lifestyle Exhibition expanded the audience reach, attracting a diverse group of visitors, including families, youth, adventure seekers, and culture enthusiasts, while also targeting affluent visitors in Belgium.

Visitors who had previously travelled to Sri Lanka shared their fond memories and expressed enthusiasm to revisit the country to experience and explore areas that they had missed during their previous travels. In addition, there were a number of visitors with diverse interests including tourists undertaking long haul vacations, families travelling with children, individuals interested in cuisine, wildlife and nature, cultural sites and adventure.

Belgian travellers planning to visit Sri Lanka in 2025 and those who have Sri Lanka on their bucket list visited the Sri Lanka stand where the Embassy representatives provided visitors with insights into Sri Lanka’s diverse unique tourism opportunities.

Sri Lanka’s participation in the fair has not only promoted the country as a brand but also created valuable networking opportunities within the travel industry in Belgium. Additionally, the ticketed fair attracted visitors from neighboring countries including Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France.