Strap 1 - Now scheduled for Arabian Travel Market in April and not ITB Berlin in March Strap 2 – Preparations affected by political crisis By Charindra Chandrasena Sri Lanka Tourism has decided to postpone the launch of its much hyped global promotional campaign to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in April, from its originally scheduled launch at ITB Berlin in March, due to delays caused by the political crisis in November and December. The Sunday Morning Business reliably learnt that the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) arrived at this decision following lengthy discussions, as the original launch date was now unrealistic. ITB Berlin is to be held from 6 to 10 March in Berlin while ATM will be held from 28 April to 1 May in Dubai, providing additional time for tourism authorities. While ATM is the leading global event for the travel industry in the Middle East, it is still considerably smaller than ITB, which is known as the world's largest tourism trade fair. ITB annually welcomes 160,000 visitors from over 180 countries, while ATM sees over 28,000 visitors from 153 countries. Concept board approval has been obtained for the launch of the tourism campaign but a detailed proposal has to be submitted to the board for full and final approval. Thereafter, within the next few weeks, a proposal will be submitted for Cabinet approval as well. However, the So Sri Lanka video would be launched at ITB Berlin as scheduled. Furthermore, the usual activities carried out by Sri Lanka Tourism at ITB annually would take place unchanged, such as a press conference with the participation of around 100 journalists. The $ 2 million contract to develop a new brand identity and strategy for Sri Lanka Tourism within a period of six months was awarded to J. Walter Thompson Sri Lanka (JWT), the local office of one of the world’s oldest advertising agencies, in October, 2018. Sri Lanka’s new tourism tagline, So Sri Lanka, was launched at the World Travel Market 2018.