Dubai: Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates has signed an MoU with the Sri Lankan tourism board to promote the island nation’s travel and tourism industry.
Under the agreement, Emirates and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau will see joint activities such as trade shows, trips, exhibitions and workshops.
Since Sri Lanka safely re-opened to international tourists in February 2021, Emirates has carried more than 80,000 passengers to Colombo. The top inbound markets include UAE, Italy, UK and Germany. The airline currently operates 28 weekly flights to Colombo.
“Sri Lanka remains a very key market in Emirates’ global network and the agreement signed today underscores our unwavering commitment to the country,” said Ahmed Khoory, SVP Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean at Emirates . “We launched operations to Colombo more than 35 years ago, and our partnership continues to grow from strength to strength.”
“We look forward to exploring mutually beneficial initiatives that will help revive the nation’s trade and tourism sectors, and provide Emirates with an opportunity to serve market demand.”
Kimarli Fernando, chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, is optimistic the two entities can effectively promote and serve the market.
“This partnership is crucial for us to explore and capitalise (on) opportunities that emerge and to open up many beautiful avenues to establish brand awareness and perceived quality in the global tourism market.”
