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SriLankan Airlines is continuing to achieve strong growth in passenger
bookings from Australia, and expects to announce a big increase when the
current financial year ends for the carrier on 31 March.
Figures just released by the Sri Lankan Tourist Board show that total visitor
numbers to the country reached 500,642 in 2003 – an increase of almost 30
per cent on total numbers in 2002, with a massive 78 per cent growth in numbers of visitors from Australia – the largest increase from any single
market.
“Australians are always seeking new destinations to visit, and Sri Lanka fits
that requirement perfectly,” said Mr Ian Robinson, SriLankan Airlines General Manager Australia and New Zealand.
“The destination has achieved continuous strong growth from Australia
during the past few years, and that is reflected in the above-average increases in visitor numbers,” said Mr Robinson.
“We are delighted with the growth in bookings that we are achieving.
Although we are currently an offline carrier, we are continuing to generate
steady growth in bookings on our flights from Singapore to Colombo, and beyond to the Maldives and to India, where we now serve nine destinations.
That trend shows no sign of slowing.”
The Sri Lankan Tourist Board reported that 19,958 visitors arrived from
Australia in 2003, compared with 11,217 in 2002.
And in the neighbouring beach resort of the Maldives, total visitor numbers in 2003 grew by 16.3 per cent, while the number of Australians
rose by 20.7 per cent.
“Sri Lanka offers a vast range of activities, from surfing and golf to highland
tea plantations in Kandy and the world-famous Pinnewala orphanage for elephants,” said Mr Robinson. “There is also an excellent selection of
luxury hotels and conference facilities in Colombo, while the Maldives continues to offer a unique holiday experience, either in its own right or as
an add-on to Sri Lanka.”
SriLankan Airlines has also improved significantly the accessibility of Sri
Lanka for tourists and business travellers by introducing “air taxi” services
from Colombo to remote destinations, using newly-acquired Cessna Caravan aircraft.
“These aircraft are proving very popular with tourists and business
travellers alike,” said Mr Robinson. “In some cases, they can now carry
travellers to regional destinations in Sri Lanka within 30 minutes, versus
more than six hours by roads through the highlands, offering a whole new
range of opportunities for visitors.” |
