Sri Lanka Tourism launches ‘Galle Concerto 2024’

(By Kamal Siriwardana)
Highlighting the cultural, musical, literary and culinary excellence of the country, Galle Concerto 2024 – the Southern Festivals and its handbook was launched on Wednesday (17) with a view to attract high-end tourism to Sri Lanka and recover the global image of the country.

The festivals are organised by The Presidential Secretariat, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. The Galle Concerto 2024 includes six events: Rhythms of Paradise in Koggala (12-14 January), Gourmet Galle, Opera at the Anantara (19-21 January), Southern Book Fair 2024 (19-28 January), Galle Literary Festival 2024 (25-28 January) and Matara Festival for the Arts (1-4 February).

Celebrating Sri Lanka’s culture, music, literature, art and food while bringing together a diverse array of writers, poets, intellectuals, literary enthusiasts, musicians, artists and celebrity chefs from around the world, Galle Concerto 2024 spotlights the country to a global audience.

Speaking at the event, Presidential Envoy Niranjan Deva Aditya said, “I am proud that in a short period of two years, we have been able to resurrect our global identity and showcase this festival. It is a small example of what we can do. I’m not talking about knowledge, IT, or tourism; it is a cultural festival that is so rich, vibrant and positive. We are back on the world stage.”

He said the Galle Concerto that showcases Sri Lanka’s rich cultural diversity through several musical events, a food festival, modern art and a book exhibition would gain local and international acclaim for its contribution to the global cultural landscape.

Sri Lanka Tourism Board Chairman Chanchala Gajabahu noted that the Galle Concerto 2024 would contribute highly in achieving the tourism goals of the country.

“The President has a vision for the country to achieve five million tourists by 2029. Yes, we can do that, but we can’t do it overnight. We need infrastructure, sustainability and other investments coming into Sri Lanka. That’s what we are building. 2023 was a comeback year after what we experienced in the last 3-4 years. We have to bring people and with all this travel advisories from Europe, America and all over the world, conducting events like this show that Sri Lanka is winning.

“In that five million charter, the President has clearly identified that 2.5 million has to be at the upper end of the market, which is achievable. It is quality versus quantity. Events like this would get that market for the whole country,” Gajabahu said.

Also present at the launch were Galle Literary Festival and Gourmet Galle representative Tracy Holisnger, Southern Book Fair representative Edward Robinson, Matara Festival for the Arts representative Chanchala Gunewardena, Rhythms of Paradise representative Nilupul Gunawardena, Opera at the Anantara representative Champika De Silva, and Gourmet Galle representative Damitha Nikapota who spoke of their respective segments.