South Asia’s most prestigious Boat & Marine Show Sri Lanka 2023kicked off on October 27th 2023 at the Marina in the Port City of Colombo.The 8th edition of the exhibition was held for three days from 27th-29th October 2023 and it is the first time that this exhibition was held in the Port City area which is the emerging investment zone of Sri Lanka.
The Boat & Marine Show is not only an exhibition of marine products and services but also a major platform for trade and investment in the sector.Sri Lanka’s largest boat and marine exhibition is organized with the aim of new trends in the field of recreational boats and boat manufacturing, yacht manufacturing, marine tourism industry, boat export and boat manufacturing.
The Boat and Marine Show Sri Lanka 2023 was organized by The Chamber of Marine Industries of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board in association with the Ministry of Industries, Sri Lanka Port Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation.
This year’s exhibition included 54 companies involved in the boat and marine industry,various booths and 79 different items. The show was organized to target foreign buyers and investors, buyers and industrialists from India, Singapore, Maldives, South Korea,Belgium, the Middle East,Germany,The Netherlands and Seychelles.
Minister of Health and Industries Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, participated as the Chief Guest in the exhibition, and he stated that the boat and marine industry, which was very small about 30 years ago, has developed rapidly and become a major sector that brings foreign exchange to the country. Additionally, the Minister added that the Sri Lankan boat manufacturing industry has been able to show the world the capability of producing boats of the highest quality in the world.
Minister of State for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chalaka Gajabahu, Chief Executive Officer of Export Development Board Kingsley Barnard, Chairman of Chamber of Marine Industries Kaushal Rajapaksa, ambassadors, local and foreign investors and a large number of people were present for the opening of the exhibition.
Article by Nelum Buddhadasa