Asia’s first ever Travel Bloggers Conference will be held from the 14th to 18th of November 2014 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This conference named as TBC Asia is a brainchild of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and is organized in partnership with the Professional Travel Bloggers’ Association (PTBA) and the National Carrier - Sri Lankan Airlines.

In an era where referral marketing plays a critical role in selecting destinations, products and services in the Leisure industry, authentic information provided by travel bloggers are proving to be increasingly more valuable than traditional forms of advertising. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in their drive towards revolutionizing the leisure industry in Sri Lanka have identified this and therefore conceptualized Asia’s First Ever Travel Bloggers Conference.

More than 50 bloggers from around the world will be hosted by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts on a four day Pre-Conference tour in Sri Lanka. The final day conference will be held on the 18th November at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo where professionals from the Travel and Hospitality industry, including both local and foreign representatives of Tourists boards, travel agents and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to interact with these leading bloggers as well as to participate in the panel discussions and Key note addresses.

The Key note speakers who will mostly represent leading Social Media sites such as Google, Trip Advisor, Facebook etc will add value to the learning experience of all those participating in the final day conference.

Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines speaking about TBCasia said; “SriLankan Airlines is delighted to be a partner of Asia’s first International Travel Bloggers Conference which will be held in Sri Lanka and we warmly welcome the bloggers due to attend.  Blogging is a social media platform that has evolved greatly over recent years, particularly where the travel industry is concerned and we look forward to reaping the benefits of exposure and publicity that the country and its national carrier will receive internationally through this valuable medium”.

The tour itinerary includes some of the best properties of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. Cinnamon Lodge Habarana, which is at the epicenter of the Cultural Triangle will give the bloggers the opportunity to experience the rich heritage and history of Sri Lanka, while Cinnamon Citadel Kandy encompassing them with culture and Cinnamon Bey Beruwala which will give them the opportunity to experience pristine beaches in the south coast.

“As another initiative in our effort to constantly be the trendsetters in the Hospitality industry of Sri Lanka, we are very excited to announce the launch of TBC Asia. This unique concept which was developed and will be executed internally will move Sri Lankan tourism a few notches higher as the industry will embrace be better adapted to new and ever changing trends” said Ajit Gunewardene, President of the Leisure Group and Deputy Chairman of John Keells Holdings.

“We expect this event to be held annually in different parts of Asia, which will help to promote Asian tourism among potential travelers. Our association with the PTBA has enabled us to make this event a unique and relevant one for all stakeholders. Sri Lankan Airlines – the National Carrier, has also partnered with us in ensuring that this novel event is a success”, Ajit commented.

According to the Professional Travel Bloggers’ Association, what makes this conference stand out from the rest is the Pre-Conference Tour and learning opportunities for the bloggers in addition to just a one-day conference as seen normally.

“The PTBA is excited and honored at the opportunity to work with Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and Sri Lankan Airlines to make this conference happen this year. Travel blogging has come a long way in a very short period of time and having a chance to get 50+ top travel bloggers together to talk about trends, techniques, and methods to improve our craft and our professionalism is vital in the process of growing or profession. Additionally, today travel bloggers play an important role in the decision making process for individuals making travel decisions and having the opportunity for bloggers to be able to network with the many sponsors of this event, and help educate those in the travel industry of the value of working with professional travel bloggers, is an opportunity that we are all looking forward to” said Michael Hodson, Immediate Past President of the PTBA.