‘Visit Lanka 2011’:
New promotional techniques to woo One million visitors
Shirajiv Sirimane in London
A series of new promotional techniques would be used to woo one
million visitors to Sri Lanka for the ‘Visit Lanka 2011’ program.
Dillip Mudadeniya with Hiran Cooray at the WTM.
Picture by Shirajiv Sirimane |
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Director General Dillip
Mudadeniya speaking to Daily News Business after the closing of the four
day World Tourism Market said that they would be targeting airline crews
all over the world.
“Airline staff all over the world gets free tickets to travel to any
destination and we want to promote Sri Lanka to them for their
vacation,” he said. “There are over four million airline staff in the
world who receive over eight million free tickets per year to travel to
any destination.
“We hope to work with SriLankan airlines in this promotion,” he said.
Hiran Cooray elected PATA Chairman
|
For the first
time a Sri Lanka hotelier and Jetwing Hotels Deputy Chairman,
Hiran Cooray has been elected Chairman of the Pacific Asia
Travel Association (PATA) world body for 2011. His appointment
would be confirmed next April at the PATA Congress in Malaysia.
Cooray said that he was delighted to be elected and that it
could not have come at a better time as the war in Sri Lanka was
over.
“I could now talk about Sri Lanka more freely and my appointment
would be also used to promote Sri Lanka tourism all over the
world,” he said.
“PATA is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the
responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism
industry and Sri Lanka too would benefit,” he said.
A Marketing Graduate from the University of North Carolina,
Cooray joined Jetwing Hotels in 1987 as Managing Director. Under
his leadership, Jetwing Hotels has achieved extremely high
standards in customer care, service delivery, product
differentiation, people development, environment and community
development.
SriLankan Airline CEO, Manoj Gunawardane, Sri Lanka Tourism,
Chairman Bernard Goonetilleke and Mahaweli Reach, Managing
Director, Jayantha Panabokke are other members representing Sri
Lanka at the PATA. |
Mudadeniya said that they are looking at the option to offer one free
night for this special airline staff package as a value addition to
attract them to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism would also launch special
programs with international travel agents, tour operators and especially
with the media by offering them Familiarization (FAM) tours.
Sri Lanka Tourism also hopes to have a special post-war marketing
campaign.
On the participation of the WTM he said that this was Sri Lanka’s
biggest delegation for the WTM as the companies want to market
themselves exploiting the end of the war.
“WTM is the second largest global tourism global gathering and it
opens doors not only for the British sector but to over 200 countries
that participate in the event and participation of the event is an
investment for the future,” he said.
Minister of Tourism Promotion, Faiszer Mustapha said that President
Mahinda Rajapaksa was keen on the promotion of tourism SME sector and
the Ministry offered to bear 90 percent of the cost of the participating
SMEs.
Palace Hotel Negombo, Director Marion Fernadopulle said that they are
participating in the event for the first time and they are doing so
since they had to pay only 10 percent of the cost.
“We must thank the Government for this move as the hotel has now got
invaluable international exposure,” he said. |