The agreement outlines a host of initiatives designed to promote the nation’s tourism and trade industries, and comes as part of the airline’s long-standing commitment to Sri Lanka spanning 37 years.
The MoU was signed by Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean, and K.P.P. Siriwardana, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau at the Arabian Travel Market 2023.
Also present at the signing ceremony was Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism and Lands; H.E. Udaya Indraratna, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates; Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, as well as Chandana De Silva, Emirates’ Manager – Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Signalling the deepening of a strategic cooperation between Emirates and Sri Lanka Tourism forged in 2022, the new MoU details joint initiatives and opportunities for collaboration that will enhance each party’s marketing and promotional efforts to attract travellers to the South Asian island.
Through the MoU, Emirates will develop programmes to boost tourism to the Indian Ocean nation by showcasing it to customers across its global network.
The airline will also engage in efforts to promote the country through its network of agents in key strategic markets, develop special packages designed to appeal to various customer segments, in addition to collaborating on joint familiarisation trips to raise awareness of the destination’s offerings to audiences in key feeder markets.
Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean said:
“Emirates launched operations to Sri Lanka more than 37 years ago, and it continues to represent a key destination for us in our South Asian network.
This partnership is testament to our commitment to the country’s tourism and trade industries and in playing a key role in the revival of these vital sectors.
We look forward to promoting Sri Lanka as a key leisure destination in our network and serving demand with our services.”
K.P.P. Siriwardana, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said:
"We are pleased to continue our partnership with Emirates to promote Sri Lanka as an ideal destination to travellers.
Emirates has played a major role in the revival of the tourism sector and we look forward to working with them to grow it further and make a positive impact on our economy."
Sri Lanka continues to be an important part of the Emirates network spanning more than 130 destinations.
Emirates launched its services to Sri Lanka in 1986 and since then has caried more than 11 million passengers to and from Colombo.
The airline currently provides two direct daily flights to Colombo utilising the Boeing 777-300ER as well as an additional daily service via Male.
It is the only international carrier to serve the country with First Class services – offering passengers world-class products and superior comfort in air and on-ground.
Caption Shown here from right to left was Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ SVP Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean: Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism and Land; Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer; K.P.P. Siriwardana, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau; and H.E. Udaya Indraratna, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates.