Business Travel

‘New Act, a milestone for tourism’

Ganga Pradeepa

The new tourism act can be a milestone. We do various kinds of regular promotions and we have good future plans for 2008 said Executive Vice President of John Keells/CEO Chaaya Hotel and Resorts, Jayatissa Kehelpannalla at the PATA Gold Awards 2007 event.

The Chaaya Village Habarana, a back- to - basics nature resort, offers its guest cultural experiences in a setting of indigenous natural beauty, while striving to ensure that local lifestyle and ecosystems remain undisturbed”, he said.

SriLankan Airlines clinched its first gold at the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2007, for the best marketing campaign for an airline. The airline’s “Home away from Home” campaign proved hugely popular in Sri Lanka where it was launched, reinforcing SriLankan Airlines brand values of warmth and traditional hospitality.

The annual PATA awards recognise exceptional achievement in areas such as marketing, heritage and culture, environment, education and training with the winners setting industry standards for excellence and innovation.

“We are honoured to receive this Gold Award from PATA as testament to the airline’s high standards of innovation and creativity,” said, Head of Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines, Chandana de Silva.

“SriLankan Airlines is known for its exceptional service and quality standards and continues to be the preferred choice of Sri Lankans, be it leisure or business travellers, who want the comfort of home when they travel”, he added.

The “Home Away from Home” campaign was developed by SriLankan Airlines advertising and agency Grant McCann Erickson.

“The whole concept behind the campaign was that Sri Lankans, wherever they are, yearn for simple things that remind them of home. We wanted to show that Sri Lankan Airlines is a carrier that understands Sri Lankans best” said Manager Advertising for SriLankan Airlines, Priya Epitawela.

“A great deal of search went into this campaign to capture exactly what our target audience was looking for and develop a campaign of high standards to allow us to compete with other international airlines and come out on top” she added.

The awards ceremony for the PATA Gold Awards 2007 will be held at the PATA Travel Mart 2007 in Bali, Indonesia on September 28.

The pacific Asia Travel Association, founded in 1951 is the recognised authority on Asia Pacific travel and tourism, counting nearly 100 Government, city and state tourism bodies, 55 airlines and cruise lines and hundreds of travel industry companies as its members.

SriLankan Airlines has many accolades to its credit, recently being awarded the prestigious Imperial Mark, a global accolade of excellence in recognition of its exceptional levels of service and quality. SriLankan Airlines is the only airline in Asia to be honoured with this award.

Tourist industry pledges healthy future

Tourism chiefs and UN agencies pledged to “green” the travel trade while highlighting the 880 billion dollar industry’s own vulnerability to global warming.

In a four page declaration, UN tourism, environment and weather agencies, national tourism officials and executives from 100 countries agreed the industry must “rapidly respond to climate change” and take “concrete measures” to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

They also said at the end of a three-day UN conference on tourism and global warming that tourists should be encouraged to consider the environmental impact of their travel choices and reduce their “carbon footprint.”

AFP

Golfers from around the world in Kandy

12th SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic tees off in Kandy next week.

The flags are up and the greens have been spruced up in Kandy’s picturesque Victoria Golf and Country Resort to tee off the 12th annual SriLankan Airlines’ Golf Classic on October 10 2007.

The SriLankan Golf Classic draws golfers from around the world. Chandana De Silva, Head of Corporate Communications said.

The tournament will begin with a practice days starting on October 9, with the tournament teeing off on October 10 to 13 and close with an awards presentation. Over 150 golfers from around the world will play in this year’s tournament.

This year has seen a keen participation from Europe in addition to players from the Middle East and Far East.

A series of special packages are offered to participants ranging from 3 to 6 nights in Sri Lanka and include airfare, star class hotel accommodation, hotel and golf course transfers, complementary practice rounds on the 10th and 11th of October, green fees, caddy fees, ball spotter fees and beverage on all competition days.

Fly to London and earn double miles from Emirates

A visit to London this November or December will bring an unexpected bonanza to travellers with Emirates, in the form of double Skywards Miles from the award-winning frequent flyer programme of Emirates and SriLankan.

Skywards members resident in Sri Lanka and even those who join specifically to benefit from this great offer, will receive Double Skyward Miles on every flown mile when they fly to Heathrow or Gatwick from Colombo and return between 1st November and 15th December, Emirates’ Colombo office announced this week.

Emirates Sales Manager Devika Ellepola said: “These Skywards Miles are the equivalent of two free return tickets from Colombo to Maldives or to South India, and represent an amazingly generous reward. This is a fabulous incentive to register as a member of Skywards and to fly Emirates in the holiday season.”

The bonus Skywards Miles on offer are in addition to the Miles that would normally be earned in respect of the flight by the Skywards member. The offer is valid on all classes of travel on all Emirates operated services out of Colombo with the exception of EK 558. Child fares are also eligible and one way journeys will earn half the bonus.

Miles accrued from Skywards can be redeemed for free air tickets or many other benefits offered by Skywards, including upgrades, hotel accommodation, excursions, exclusive shopping, and fine dining.

Sri Lanka enjoys the distinction of being one of the top 10 countries in terms of Skywards’ memberships. Worldwide membership in the programme, which is available in over 200 countries, has topped three million.