By: Staff Writer
May 08, Colombo (LNW): Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, who is in Dubai to attend the Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), yesterday met the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Emirates Group Chairman/CEO and Dubai World Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
The meeting was on the sideline of a ceremony to sign an agreement between Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and Emirates Airlines for the latter to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. Fernando said Al Maktoum has reiterated his commitment to support Sri Lanka tourism.
Emirates this week announced that Sri Lanka will be among the first nine destinations to which the world’s leading carrier will deploy Airbus A350 aircraft to Colombo flights from 1 January 2025.
Sri Lanka is putting up a positive show with the participation of over 70 local travel agencies, DMCs and hotels at ATM 2024, the largest travel and tourism exhibition in the region, which will run until Thursday.
The tourism and airline industries of Sri Lanka have reportedly launched a special promotion campaign to attract tourists from Sri Lanka’s largest source market, India.
The country’s tourism industry is currently on a path to revival from the setback suffered following the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Also, Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines has reportedly launched a comprehensive package which includes airfare, hotel accommodation on B&B basis, transport as specified in the itinerary, and the service fee of the tour operator.
Sri Lanka Tourism will concentrate on India more than any other market, and that is our best bet at this point. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) announced that based on the success of the Indian campaign, tourism authorities would extend the promotion campaign to China, followed by the Middle East.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is engaged in formulating a massive promotional campaign to boost the industry that faced a negative impact following Easter Sunday attacks and economic crisis .
Tourism experts have predicted a quick revival of Sri Lanka’s tourism sector with even the UNWTO chief calling on the international community to support Sri Lanka’s tourism sector. Given all this and the incentives offered by the government of Sri Lanka, foreign businesses/investors could explore business opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
