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Raid Amazones Kandy, Sri Lanka 2023
SriLankan Airlines sets the stage to usher in Raid Amazones, the only itinerant women’s adventure race in the world, to Sri Lanka for the second year running as the Presenting Partner. Raid Amazones will hit the fabled streets of the hill capital, Kandy, between 19 – 29, March 2023 with the participation of over 250 female athletes. SriLankan Airlines is stepping up its efforts toward restoring the country’s tourism industry, in part by drawing major international events that help showcase the island’s appeal to diverse travel interests in the global arena.
Raid Amazones is a coveted annual destination adventure event originating from France, which features female athletes competing their way through a range of challenges such as orienteering, mountain biking, canoeing, riding, running and archery. Sri Lanka was chosen over rival destinations by the event’s founders due to the unparalleled warmth of its people and support on ground to pull off a successful event. Their decision is also down to the airline’s tireless marketing efforts to secure the popular trail on successive occasions for Sri Lanka in its hour of need for international tourism support.
During the 21st edition of the trail, the participants will be able to connect with a potpourri of natural and historical highlights as they trek through the Kandyan plateau in Central Sri Lanka. Their journey, though, would begin from the moment that they step onboard SriLankan Airlines to fly from Paris to Colombo, on an aircraft with custom livery dedicated to Raid Amazones 2023. Named as a UNESCO world heritage site, Kandy, the iconic setting of Raid Amazones 2023, is renowned for two of the most recognizable cultural symbols that define Sri Lanka. The first one is the Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Buddha, which, as the name suggests, houses the Tooth Relic of the Gauthama Buddha, and is considered the epitome of Kandyan architecture. The second, being the ‘Kandy Esala Perahera,’ which adorns the livery of the aircraft that will fly down the athletes. Believed to be one of the longest continuing processions in the world, the ‘Perahera’ that takes place in August every year, dates back to the 310 A.D. It is a rich cultural display and a collection of symbolism of lore and traditions.
SriLankan Airlines partnered Raid Amazones in 2022 soon after recommencing operations to Paris. The 20th edition of the event took place in the areas surrounding the iconic Sigiriya rock fortress, another UNESCO World Heritage Site which is rich in ecological beauty, cultural heritage and attributes of authentic village life in Sri Lanka. With the encore this year, Sri Lanka becomes the only country in the event’s history to host the Raid consecutively for two times.
SriLankan Airlines, together with Connaissance de Ceylan, the official ground handling partner of the event, will go all out to ensure that the French group experiences the best in Sri Lankan hospitality. The airline and Sri Lanka are likely to gain over EUR 10 million worth of publicity globally from the 21st edition this year. The anticipated media coverage will especially help create more awareness of Sri Lanka as an adventure travel hotspot in France and the rest of Europe, where Raid Amazones is sought-after, and attract adventure-seekers. For SriLankan Airlines, that is the ultimate goal.
