Around 8,000 people attended Hikkaduwa Beach Festival 2009 which began on Thursday and lasted through the weekend with a Drum Festival, themed parties and beach sports. Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Dileep Mudadeniya said the estimate on the number of attendees was made based on the number of rooms versus occupancy, which was 100%, and the number of tickets that were purchased by tourists overseas mainly in the Maldives, India and the Middle East. Initial research has shown that local vendors were very happy as the four days of economic activity will allow them to sustain their business until tourist season begins in November, Mr. Mudadeniya said.
Last year's Festival attracted 10,000 people but Mr. Mudadeniya attributed the higher number due to the long weekend last year that coincided with the SAARC Summit which saw many people going out of Colombo. He also said there were a lot of people who came to watch the cricket matches in Galle last year. However, this year tourists took leave on Thursday or Friday to come in.
Hikka Fest kicked off last Thursday with a scintillating Drum Festival featuring performers from all parts of the world including Brazil, Colombia, India and Algeria with plenty of local talent mixed in. Famed Indian flautist and Grammy Award Nominee Bikramjith Singh performed with local artists like Ravibandu Vidyapathi. Sharing the stage at the Drum Festival which went on for over five hours were Elephant Foot, Brazilian band Acuri and Colombian percussionist Tato Marenco. Several international media organizations were present to cover the event as well.
Find out more interesting Photos from Hika Fest 2009 at below links:
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