SriLankan Airlines, a major partner in the Gateway to South Asia Travel Mart 2006, once again provided its fullest support towards the growth of tourism into the region.

“As one of the most active players in the airline industry in the South Asian region, SriLankan Airlines is fully committed to supporting an important initiative such as the Gateway to South Asia Travel Mart,” said Manoj Gunawardena, Head of Worldwide Passenger Sales at SriLankan Airlines. “This event is now widely recognised as one of the most important showcases for travel and tourism in this region.”

SriLankan is the largest foreign carrier into India, with nearly 100 flights a week to nine destinations, and also serves the Maldives and Pakistan. The airline now flies to 49 destinations in 28 countries throughout Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East. The famed Indian coastal resort town of Goa is to become its 50th global destination and the 10th in India, with the launch of services in October 2006.

The travel mart, held at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Convention Centre from 16th to 18th June, featured a large number of local and international exhibitors such as inbound and outbound tour operators, MICE operators (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions), hotels, restaurants, airlines, government and semi-government institutions, corporate entities, safari parks, and ayurvedha specialists.

A significant number of buyers from Europe, the Far East, the ASEAN region, South Asia, and the Middle East attended Gateway to South Asia, which was held for the fourth successive year.

SriLankan Holidays, the package tour arm of the airline, had a large number of special packages at the travel mart; and the airline’s domestic service SriLankan Air Taxi provided concessionary rates for travel to its 14 destinations throughout Sri Lanka.

“These packages, which are one-time offers made available exclusively for consumers who visited the Travel Mart, were guaranteed to be the best value for money travel deals for the year,” said Amith Sumanapala, General Manager SriLankan Holidays. “The packages had even lower fares than our Mega 999 brand packages which are much in demand by consumers, and featured the same all-inclusive concept. The Mega 999 series has been very well received by all of our travel agents and tour operators too. ”

SriLankan provided free air travel for 60 foreign travel agents, tour operators, and guest speakers for the Travel Mart, and also provided special offers on air fares for other visitors.

“We saw new buyers from traditional markets and from new markets who had a keen interest in Sri Lanka and the South Asian region,” said Gunawardena.

The spectacular SriLankan Airlines Pavilion at the travel mart showcased the multi-faceted aspects of the airline, including SriLankan Holidays, MICE tourism, and SriLankan Air Taxi. Members of the senior management of the airline were on hand at the SriLankan Airlines Pavilion to meet with buyers on a one-to-one basis and provide complete information on the airline’s operations.

Apart from the island’s traditional attractions of golden beaches, 2,500-year-old culture, wildlife parks, and breathtaking scenery, Sri Lanka is also a destination of choice for shoppers who snap up name-brand clothing at bargain prices. Colombo is also a favourite for meetings, conventions and exhibitions in the region.

SriLankan Airlines has in recent years achieved global recognition for its standards in excellence, winning such prestigious titles as “World’s Best Airline” in a survey of Economy Class passengers, “World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff”, first runner-up for “World’s Best Cabin Staff”, “Best Overall Inflight Entertainment (for a fleet of 20 or less)”, and “World’s Most Efficient Operator of Airbus A330s (small fleet category)” from Airbus Industrie. SriLankan has also dominated regional awards, winning the Skytrax award for Best Airline in Central Asia for four consecutive years, as well as the TTG Asia Award for Best Airline in South Asia three times, and the Galileo Indian Express Award for the Best Eastbound International Airline from India.

For further information:
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SriLankan Airlines
Level 25, East Tower
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Colombo 01 – Sri Lanka
Phone: +94 019733 1323
Fax: +94 019733 5141