SriLankan Airlines adds sixth weekly flight from Oman

Colombo: In a bid to attract Arab tourists boarding from Middle East countries and proceeding to Far East countries, such as Malaysia or Thailand, SriLankan Airlines will soon offer Colombo as a dual destination. 

Speaking at a press conference held at the SriLankan Airlines head office here, Lal Perera, head of Worldwide Sales, SriLankan Airlines said, "The airline is initiating a slew of measures to attract Arab tourists to visit this picturesque country, particularly as increased airline connectivity from the Gulf is expected to drive tourism in Sri Lanka. So far, we operate five flights a week between Oman and Sri Lanka, and we are adding one more beginning June 18, and a seventh flight per week will follow soon thereafter."

Perera further added, "India remained the top tourist generating market for Sri Lanka, while countries in Europe are the second biggest contributors to Sri Lanka's tourism industry. And now, we want to tap the Middle East market, as we feel that Arab tourists will surely like our tourist sites, which are abundant in nature."

He added, "I am aware that Arab tourists are crowding countries like Malaysia and Thailand, and we are happy to offer Colombo en route so they can stay here for a few days and explore our idyllic country. Once they see it for a few days, I am certain they will visit Sri Lanka for a longer period."

He also added that special tour operator fares have been extended to visitors from the Middle East. The press conference was attended by Lakshman Weerasooriya, manager-Oman, SriLankan Airlines, who said, "From two airlines just two years ago, we will soon have our sixth flight from Oman to Colombo, and that speaks of the rise in passenger traffic between the two countries.  We will request the tourism authorities in Sri Lanka to organize a road show in Oman that will reflect the focus of the government on luring tourists from Oman."

At a separate luncheon meeting, G. T. Jeyaseelan, chief marketing officer, said SriLankan Airlines is currently expanding and further diversifying its wide range of products and services to drive the country's ongoing boom in tourism and economic development. 

Jeyaseelan said, "The airline will acquire six airbus A350-900's and seven A 330-300's to upgrade its fleet beginning in October 2014. SriLankan will buy 10 aircraft from Airbus Industries through a mix of operating and financing leases, in a deal which has a value of $1.2 billion, along with another three passenger jets from an aircraft leasing firm. The aircraft are slated to be delivered over a period of seven years."

SriLankan Airlines presently operates a fleet of 22 aircraft, including wide-bodied A340 and A330 aircraft and mid-range A320s. The country is taking steps to promote the island nation as a complete tourist destination for leisure and business, as well as MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism. 

SriLankan is trying to position itself as a 'treasured island' for tourism and is targeting 2.5 million tourists by 2016, up from 1 million tourists in 2012.

Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners for the country's $59 billion economy, along with remittances from expatriate workers, manufacturing garments and exports of tea.