Sri Lanka’s national carrier welcomes free visa on arrival facility granted to 48 countries
Sri Lanka’s national carrier – SriLankan Airlines – has reportedly welcomed the launch of the ‘free visa on arrival facility’ introduced by the government of Sri Lanka to citizens of 48 countries including Australasia, Europe and North America from August 1, for a period of six months as part of a concerted effort to boost tourism into the Indian Ocean island nation.
SriLankan Airlines is in the forefront of global initiatives to strengthen the country’s tourism industry, working with a multitude of partners ranging from Sri Lanka Tourism to hotels, tour operators and travel agents, the local media has reported.
Travelers availing themselves of this facility could travel with Sri Lanka’s national carrier on its fleet of modern aircraft with the latest comforts such as flatbeds in Business Class and sophisticated in-flight entertainment that complement its world class service, reports further stated.
According to report, the airline has won a string of recent international awards including ‘World’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’ at the World Travel Awards; and ‘Asia’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’ at World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia.
A member of the oneworld global airline partnership, SriLankan Airlines operates a route network of 111 cities in 48 countries from its hub in Colombo and also connects to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld partner airlines, the local media has added.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is engaged in many promotional campaigns to woo tourists to the country. The country’s tourism industry suffered a setback following the Easter Sunday attacks in April. However, tourist arrivals to the country have since recorded a growth and has shown impressive growth rates. Tourism authorities in the country have initiated many programmes including a global promotional campaign, visa free programme and many special packages/deals for travellers. Sri Lanka also maintains the top slot as the destination of the year in several key global travel publications. All this indicate an expansion in business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/07082019/Z_2 |