Road to recovery: Cinnamon Hotels to host Future of Tourism Summit in Sri Lanka

Recognising the need to uplift Sri Lanka’s travel industry in the wake of 4/20 incident, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is set to host the third edition of the ‘Future of Tourism Summit’ (FOT 2019) on the 23 September at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Running under the theme ‘Challenges and Growth in the Face of a Crisis’, this year’s event will bring together top global destination experts who will share their specialist knowledge and insights on how tourism industries can implement sustainable strategies in the long-run and recover and rebuild following a variety of incidents ranging from terror attacks to natural disasters. With tourism often contributing substantially to economic growth of different nations, it is imperative that travel brands and industry professionals alike have the tools and know-how needed to respond to and recover after a period of crisis.

This year’s FOT 2019 summit will feature an exclusive line-up of speakers and in-depth talks with top destination marketers and travel industry professionals. The summit will kick-off with a special discussion with Richard Quest (CNN Correspondent and host of Quest Means Business) who will talk about the future of tourism locally and globally, followed by the keynote speaker of FOT 2019, Anita Mendiratta, special advisor to the Secretary General at UNWTO who will explore the topic ‘Rising Above – Emerging Stronger Through Crisis’.

Commenting on the FOT Summit 2019, Dileep Mudadeniya, head of brand marketing at Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts stated: ‘’As pioneers of this innovative industry event, we constantly strive to spearhead local and regional industry growth and progress. Developing a strong recovery strategy, strengthening our ability to address a crisis and act on it effectively and taking all the vibrancy and diversity that our nation has to offer as a destination, to the world are all key priorities in the coming months.”

The hotel company marked its first-ever Future of Tourism Summit in 2015 to commemorate World Tourism Day and featured global experts exploring future tourism trends.