This June 2010 as Sri Lanka prepares to celebrate her first year of peace, Visit Lanka, an exceptional travel agent and tour operator, has a pleasant surprise to share with us all. After months of meticulous planning and endless negotiations.

The International Indian Film Academy awards (IIFA) 2010 is scheduled to be held in Colombo from 3rd to 5th June and perform the biggest entertainment event in Sri Lanka with the royalty of Indian Cinema arriving here for a weekend of entertainment.

IIFA is the first-of-its-kind of effort to promote Indian Cinema all around the world, thus reaching out to millions. This pioneering effort, spearheaded by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., India’s premier event management and entertainment agency and the organizers of IIFA, marks the ultimate celebration of Indian Cinema by taking it to glorious pinnacles beyond Indian shores.

As global cinema rapidly emerges, a prominent place for Indian Cinema has been carved out. IIFA constantly aims to showcase to the world the plethora of talent Indian Cinema has to offer.

The IIFA Weekend and Awards consists of a vast range of fun-filled activities that will bring our country close to its favorite Bollywood stars. The highlight of the Weekend is the IIFA Awards Ceremony that honors the best of Indian cinema. Voyeurs from all over the world will come together to pay homage to Indian cinema, whilst millions more will sit back, relax and enjoy the live telecast of the festivities from the comfort of their homes.

IIFA shares the magic of Indian cinema with various exotic locales around the world. Starting with the Millennium Dome, London, IIFA has traveled to Sun City, Malaysia, Johannesburg, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, Yorkshire, Malaysia, Thailand and Macau before making its most recent stop in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Visit Lanka, founded in June 2002 by a group of well respected entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, were instrumental to have IIFA in Sri Lanka. Chandana Amaradasa, Visit Lanka Director, Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) and Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Faiszer Mustapha, and several others worked hard to have this even in Sri Lanka.

Dirk Flamer-Caldera, Chairman Visit Lanka said that the journey of the IIFA to Colombo began in August 2009, when he was introduced to the Wizcraft team. He said ‘We at Visit Lanka always felt that the IIFA Awards, being one of the largest media events in the world, would be the ideal event for Sri Lanka to help consolidate its position in the world, as a country at peace and now on its way up.

The event will undoubtedly bring about a huge PR boost to the country – ‘an enormous PR bonanza,’ The PR mileage obtained by playing host to this magnificent event is valued to be well over $50 million; a rare treat indeed for Sri Lanka.

Source Asian Tribune