More flights to Australia

Source:Sunday Observer

Sri Lanka promoted as a holiday destination in Melbourne

Manager, SriLankan Airlines, Melbourne, S. P. Mohan said frequency of direct flights from Colombo to Melbourne and Colombo to Sydney has already been increased to three per week to each destination and the frequency is expected to increase further with the passenger numbers growing.

Mohan presented SriLankan Airlines products to Australian tourists via a webinar last week to invite Australian visitors to Sri Lanka.

Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB), Kimarli Fernando invited Australian tourists to visit Sri Lanka again and urged the tour operators in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania to promote Sri Lanka among Australian tourists, at a webinar recently. The Chairperson said that visiting Sri Lanka is now much easier with relaxed Covid 19 regulations for fully vaccinated travelers. There is no requirement for the fully vaccinated tourists to provide on-arrival PCR tests or undergo quarantine. They are free to leave the airport and visit any part of the country as per their itinerary.

The Chairperson said that the SLTPB has made it easier for the prospective tourists to obtain all the visitor information from one place through the online portal srilanka.travel/helloagain.

The SLTPB, Director Marketing, Dushan Wickramasuriya presented the unique and diverse tourism products that Sri Lanka has to offer for the visitors. Consul General Kapila Fonseka stated that now is the best time for the tour operators to promote Sri Lanka in the Australian market as Australia has lowered the level of travel advice on Sri Lanka and removed the restriction for the Australian tourists to visit Sri Lanka. Already, Australian tourists have started applying for tourist visas of ninety days through the Consulate General. Tourists can obtain thirty day visas on their own through the online Electronic Travel Authorisation portal eta.gov.lk.

President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) Sanath Ukwatte guaranteed that the hotels will provide a safe and secure service with well-trained staff. Executive Committee Member of Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Charith de Alwis and the Past President of Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET) Rohan Abeywickrama also addressed the webinar.