SL’s first boat show begins

Over 50 local companies and 40 international buyers and sellers now display their boat varieties at the Sri Lanka’s first boat show .

Minister of International Trade Professor G.L. Peirisn opened the exhibition on Sunday morning at the BMICH , Colombo and said the ongoing boat exhibition provides local manufacturers the opportunity to enhance their international market connections.

The Minister said the country is presenting its first ever boat exhibition from today to Tuesday at the Sirimawo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre.

Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute Lanka Ltd. (BTI) made the arrangements to hold the first ever boat exhibition in the country.

BTI which is an organisation formed by leading boat manufacturers in Sri Lanka with a prime purpose of promoting the development of the boat industry towards global competitive sector backed by the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation).

At a special interview , the Management Consultant Boat Show 2008 and leading Management Consultant Nalin Attygalle said the chief motive of the organisers is to provide a forum for all the related business sectors involved directly and indirectly with the boat building industry to display and promote their respective sectors to their potential clients.

"Sri Lanka never had a boat show of an international stature with boat building industry being one of the largest export industries in the country even bigger than the apparel industry," he said.

The most important thing of all was that this event being recognised by the International Boat Industry (IBI) Calendar which is very difficult to get into.