Convene In Colombo

Sri Lanka’s busy seaport welcomes international events of all sizes.

- Ellen Clark

SOMETIMES CALLED THE PEARL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN, lovely Sri Lanka has much to recommend it.

Surrounded by water, this island nation lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. Geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, it boasts a 92 percent literacy rate and a life expectancy 10 percent above the world’s average.

Not surprisingly considering its geography, Sri Lanka’s capital city of Colombo boasts a busy port. Though a small percentage of the Port of Colombo’s business comes from pleasure craft and cruise ships, it is essentially a container port. On May 25 Sri Lanka, India and Japan signed a deal to jointly build a deepwater container terminal in Colombo.

Though closely allied with India, Sri Lanka features a character all its own. While the country occupies a much more compressed geographic area than its vast neighbor, it offers a range of diverse attractions, including eight UNESCO World Heritage sites and 14 national parks. Besides the country’s cultural and natural charms, plenty of prestigious global hotel chains provide the MICE industry with attractive and up-to-date venues for meetings, incentives, conventions and events. When you add easy access via many international airlines and green-certified hotels, it’s no wonder Sri Lanka gained a reputation as an attractive MICE destination.