Sri Lanka gets air services back
COLOMBO: Emirates is expected to resume flights to Sri Lanka on Friday after suspending them following an attempted Tamil Tiger air strike on the capital last weekend.
Emirates and SriLankan Airlines, which is 40% owned by the Dubai-based carrier, operate more than 20 flights a week between Dubai and Colombo.
Emirates also operates flights from Dubai to the Maldives, Singapore and Indonesia via Colombo.
Emirates said it had reviewed the security situation in Sri Lanka and was set to resume normal operations.
Cathay Pacific has yet to resume its flights to Sri Lanka while Singapore Airlines adjusted its schedules to operate daytime rather than night time flights.
From January to March this year, visitor numbers to Sri Lanka fell to 144,635 from a total of 159,536 in the same period in 2006. The biggest fall has been from South East Asia with comparative three-month numbers dropping from 90,298 in 2006 to 14,973 in 2007.
Speaking at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Laahiru Jayamanne, manager of Jetwing Travels in Colombo, said that Sri Lanka was “doing it tough”.
“What we can do is keep our agents up to date with current information about Sri Lanka. In the short-term it’s difficult to be positive but we must prepare ourselves to be ready to go when the good times return.
“For the time being we are using incentives such as special discounts and value-adds to attract visitors.”
Sisira Abeyratne, from Sri Lankan Tourism, said the tourist board was providing daily updates to its overseas representatives about the situation in Sri Lanka because it believed good communication was vital to restoring confidence in the destination.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025