Business travel

Travel brochures to mark SriLankan Holidays first anniversary

by Surekha Galagoda

SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines launched two dedicated fully illustrated travel brochures for inbound and outbound travellers to celebrate its first anniversary.

General Manager SriLankan Holidays Amith Sumanapala said that dedicated brochures for the Sri Lankan market was a long-felt need and we have filled this vacuum.

We are targeting a revenue of Rs. 800 mn for this financial year, a growth of 125% over last year and we are already on course, said Sumanapala. He said that they will launch special packages for senior citizens, youth, singles and golfers in the near future. At present we offer special packages for honeymooners and pilgrims.

He said that the brochures are very user-friendly and will be a valuable tool for travellers looking to holiday in Sri Lanka or any one of the destinations served by SriLankan Airlines." The Inbound brochure features 15 exciting holiday destinations covering Sri Lanka's pristine beaches, the commercial capital, the hill country and the cultural enclave.

Described as a celebration of Sri Lanka and what it has to offer, the brochure also features 29 SriLankan Holidays partner hotels - hand picked for the quality, class and the holistic service offer by each venue. Titled "What will you bring back," the outbound brochure is a guide and an invitation for Sri Lankans to explore the world.

"Sri Lankans enjoy more holidays per year than any other nation - giving us more reason to explore the world," Sumanapala said.

The outbound brochure explores 39 holiday hotspots spread across China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Maldives and India. The two brochures are a great way to discover Sri Lanka and the region and we are confident that it will encourage more people to travel, said Sumanapala.

Tracing the history of SriLankan Holidays, he said that the target areas at the launch were flying in leisure travellers into Sri Lanka and offering package tours to enable Sri Lankans to travel abroad on holiday.

He said that the number of tourists from the regional markets of the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East has increased recording a healthy growth. Introducing global partners and franchise operators also helped us achieve the targets.

We flew down 100 franchise operators and ground handling agents for the SriLankan Holiday conference themed "Making the Connection" which was a major success.

National Tourism Organisations, travel agents, tour and hotel operators from around the world met in Colombo to discuss new ideas for further growth at the SriLankan Holidays' first conference and travel mart for its global partners.

He said that the most popular destination among travellers from Sri Lanka is Bangkok while inbound tourists fly from Delhi, Bombay and Hyderabad. We expect a growth of 125% and at present we are on target.

Head, Corporate Communications Chandana De Silva said that SriLankan will fly to Coimbatore from tomorrow. Sumanapala said that they were able to offer a wider range of holiday destinations due to the global holiday partner network, established last year.

He said that the franchise operations across the network, including its Indian distribution network is the largest outside Sri Lanka.

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Maximum promotion for Tourism Earth Lung in UK

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Sri Lanka will give maximum promotion to the 'Tourism Earth Lung' during the World Travel Mart (WTM) at the ExCell Exhibition Centre in London from November 12-15. This initiative was launched at this year's World Tourism Day at Bentota.

The Tourism Earth Lung was launched to reposition the country from the adverse publicity carried out in the West and promote the nation as a carbon-free eco-friendly destination.

"The Earth Lung tourism initiative was accepted as a response to climate change, a global challenge and promotion of tourism at the recently concluded Davos Conference which was held under the theme '100 percent carbon free be part of it", said Chairman, Tourism Development Authority Renton de Alwis. He was addressing a seminar on Climate Change and Tourism Response to Global Challenges' at the Sri Lanka Tourism and Hotel Management Institute on Tuesday.

He said the country will be represented at this year's WTM for the first time under the newly set up Tourism Development Authority which will do its best to promote the Sri Lankan green theme concept and the destination as a safe place for tourism.

The Chairman said the contribution made by former US Vice President Al Gore who won an Oscar award for raising awareness on climate change through his film 'Inconvenient Truth' was an eye opener to the world to take immediate steps to reduce the emission of carbon and minimise environmental pollution.

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Villa Ocean View opens on Nov 1 after refurbishment

Owned and managed by Ocean View Resorts, Villa Ocean View, at Wadduwa redefines the concept of a resort beach hotel from Thursday, November 1, after extensive refurbishment.

With the refurbishment, Villa Ocean View introduces a new level of luxury accommodation in all the 73 villas and in the 67 superior rooms with ultra modern light fittings, furniture and modern amenities. For guests seeking more adventurous and fun-filled experience Villa Ocean View has a host of activities not only for the adults but also for the hotel's youngest guests.

"Villa Ocean View which offers the best conference facilities in the region has the largest banquet halls. After the major refurbishment still we do not intend to increase our rates and instead offer attractive packages for the locals and expatriates," said Business Development Manager Ocean View Resorts Ranjaka de Mel.