Business Travel

Hilfswerk’s second phase of SMAPs project in Nepal

by Surekha Galagoda

[email protected]

The second phase of the three-year project to develop the Small and Medium Accommodation Providers (SMAPs) in Sri Lanka and Nepal will be launched in November in Nepal.

The 175,000 Euro investment is funded by the European Commission. The project is commissioned and implemented by Hilfswerk Austria.

The objectives of the project are to enhance the selling capabilities of the small and medium scale accommodation providers and improving the product and service standards in these establishments, said Country Manager Hilfswerk Austria, David Mangala.

Under this project 40 Sri Lankan and 40 Nepali small scale establishments will be supported to develop their product and service standards to cater to tourists from around the world.

He said that under the second phase they are looking at developing a marketing mechanism through IT so that the interaction between the Nepal, Sri Lankan and Austrian SMEs will be strengthened.

Mangala said that under the second phase they will also train the selected SMAPs on computer literacy, increase revenue by pooling data to benefit all SMAPs and the brand SMAPs will be certified by the project which will give them increased revenue.

He said that upgrading the product and service quality of SMAPS would be completed by July.

Training manuals and booklets have already been prepared by the joint partners which include the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Hotel School, Nepal Tourism Association and International School for Tourism in Nepal and representatives from Hilfswerk Austria and Hilfswerk Sri Lanka together with experts from the University of Application Science and Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Salzberg Austria.

He said that all partners participated in the study tour to Austria where they reviewed the program, looked at the latest developments in the hospitality industry relating to IT, discussed the specific European standards for SMAPs and the analysis on the ongoing research on the SMAPs was also done.

Mangala said that they have already completed 10 training programs in Negombo, Tangalle, Beruwela and Bentota.

He said that under the pilot project, accommodation providers in the areas of Negombo, Southern stretch which includes Bentota, Beruwela, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna and Tangalle were selected for the project.

The selection criteria was that each place of accommodation should be less than 20 rooms and employ less than 20 persons.

Most importantly, we will not be supporting any villa or boutique type of accommodation, said Mangala.

Project Manager Tourism Hilfswerk Austria Sandamala Wickramaratne said that the accommodation providers will also be shown how to use Information Technology to upgrade the industry - for example how to send e-mails, marketing on the web.

These methods would enable SMAPs reach a large market with the minimum cost. In addition they can be integrated to the internet to promote know-how and knowledge transfer and the best practices exchange between Europe, Asia and the Asian countries. She said that at a later stage they are planning to categorise these accommodation providers and connect them to the Sri Lanka Tourism website.

Mangala said that development of SMEs in the hospitality industry is a high priority of the Ministry of Tourism under the guidance of Deputy Minister Faiser Musthapha while the program is sphearheaded with the support of the Sri Lanka Tourism Authority Chairman, Renton De Alwis.

He said that the SMAP’s logo depicting Nepal and Sri Lanka was also launched in Austria. The hills on the logo represent Nepal while the sunny beaches represent Sri Lanka.

Smooth transition to 100% e-ticketing - Abacus

Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading travel facilitator said that the switch on June 1 to issuing all air tickets electronically went without a hitch for Abacus and Abacus-connected travel agents.

The goal for effective 100% e-ticketing and the target date was set by travel industry organisation IATA, with strong support from the airline industry and it is believed the move could save the travel industry US$3 billion each year.

President and CEO of Abacus, Robert Bailey, said the feedback from partner agencies and Abacus-connected agents showed that a few had experienced problems with the new ticketing requirements.

“The whole industry has been in preparation for the June 1 switch over for many years and Abacus has been working very closely with all our employees across the region, as well as 450 airlines and agents in over 15,000 travel agency locations throughout Asia Pacific, to ensure we were all ready to make the move,” he said.

Bailey said that the period of change to e-ticketing had seen various parties in the industry working together in an exemplary way; from IATA and the airlines to Abacus, its National Marketing Companies and travel agency partners.

“The smooth transition is a major achievement for Abacus and its partners as a year ago, the level of tickets issued as electronic tickets had just passed the 60% mark for the more than 50 million airline tickets managed by Abacus each year.”

He said the benefits of complete e-ticketing will be felt across the entire travel industry and beyond.

Singapore Flyer - a world of memories

SriLankan Holidays will give 100 lucky holidaymakers a better view of Singapore this season, giving away 100 free tickets to the world’s largest observation wheel.

Standing at 165 meters, the Singapore Flyer is the height of a 42-storey building - that’s some 30 metres taller than the famed London Eye. Taking a flight on this S$240 million wheel is a one-of-a-kind experience you wouldn’t want to miss.

As the wheel turns, passengers will be treated to a visual 360 degree feast of iconic and historical landmarks and views from the Marina Bay to the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Merlion Park, Empress Place, the Padang and even parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.