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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Bartlett named PATWA advisor

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Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has accepted an invitation to become an advisor to international travel writers’ group — Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA).

The invitation was made by the group’s Secretary General, Sagur Ahluwalia last Friday, who shared that the Minister’s rich experience will be beneficial to the organization.

In expressing his gratitude, Minister Bartlett said, “It is an honour to have been selected as an advisor to the prestigious PATWA organization. I offer my services to the organization and hope that we are able to share ideas which will have a positive impact on the growth of tourism both regionally and internationally.”

PATWA is a professional organisation of travel writers which was founded in 1998, at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Its founding philosophy is to support PATA’s primary objectives of being a catalyst for responsibly developing the travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region.

Minister Bartlett was this year awarded the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association’s (PATWA) Tourism Minister of the Year for Sustainable Tourism for 2018 in Berlin, Germany
During the awards presentation, Jamaica also received PATWA’s International Travel Award for Destination of the Year.

The awards recognised ¬individuals and organisations that have excelled and/or are involved in the promotion of ¬tourism from different sectors of the travel trade and service ¬providers related directly or indirectly to the industry.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Travel News | eTurboNews

SriLankan Airlines’ new plan to be like Emirates

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In a bid to turn the loss making airline into a profitable venture, SriLankan Airlines has come up with a five-year strategic plan. Part of the plan will see them emulating industry leader Emirates, with a new hub and spoke network model.

In a statement SriLankan Airlines said:

“SriLankan Airlines has formulated a new five-year Strategic Business Plan for the period 2019-24 with the objective of transforming itself into a financially viable organization airline group with high brand visibility and a global reputation for excellence,”

They went on to say that the national carrier had an ‘enormous contribution’ to make to the GDP of Sri Lanka, including import, export and tourism.

What is SriLankan Airlines planning?

Their latest five year strategic business plan includes major development of the Colombo hub to make it a key connecting point for a variety of markets. SriLankan are targeting passengers connecting through Africa, Asia and the Middle East, in a bid to grow as big as rival airline Emirates.

As a member of Oneworld, SriLankan are hoping to leverage their membership to develop their network for the future. In contrast to their current point to point model, they plan to work on more of a hub and spoke model to develop new opportunities.

The plan is to be presented to the Government of Sri Lanka for approval shortly.

New routes and fleet

Currently, SriLankan Airlines operate with a fleet of 27 Airbus aircraft. Specifically, these are 13 A320 family aircraft and 14 A330s. As part of the five year plan, the carrier intends to select new fleet inclusions which match the requirement of their developing route network. They have also said they want to reconfigure their existing fleet to offer an enhanced business class service.

Already, the airline has announced a fifth weekly service between Colombo and Tokyo from July onwards, using its Airbus A330-300s. If the plan is formalized by the government, we expect to see many more new route announcements over the coming weeks.

As well as routes and fleet, the plan specifies that it will:

  • Enhance the customer experience by improving customer-centricity throughout the airline
  • Adopt best practices to improve productivity
  • Grow online sales to reach a wider market in a more cost effective manner
  • Improve employee engagement
  • Implement a competitive cost structure through a greater cost consciousness throughout the company

The plan is being headed up by Group Chief Executive Officer Vipula Gunatilleka, who was appointed to the airline in mid-2018. Prior to joining SriLankan, Gunatilleka was a board member and CFO of TAAG Angola. There, he worked closely with Emirates while they were managing TAAG, so no doubt knows his hub and spoke business very well already.

A loss-making airline

The airline is undergoing a major shakeup with a view to turning a profit. Over the last nine months, the carrier’s net loss more than doubled to a total loss of $135m. It is hoped that the five year strategic plan being tabled today will transform the airline by 2024.

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Good news for GetGo Tours as GetYourGuide plans on highlighting Sri Lanka tours in 2019

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Sri Lanka travel company GetGo Tours will receive a boost to its business this year as global tour booking platform GetYourGuide announces plans to focus on promoting Sri Lanka in 2019. The decision is prompted by the recent tourism boom in the country, which has seen top travel publisher Lonely Planet  naming Sri Lanka the best country in the world to visit in 2019.  GetYourGuide will work specifically with GetGo to promote its existing tours on the platform, with new tours and activities being added throughout the year. 

GetGo Tours can arrange anything from day trips and city tours to safaris, cultural tours, wellness and Ayurveda tours and adventure tour packages in Sri Lanka, for one day, several days or for two or three weeks. The company is based in Kandy and has been operating since 2011. 

Commenting on the new relationship, Philipp Müller, founder and director of GetGo Tours said:

“I am delighted that such a tiny place on the world map like Sri Lanka has been ranked as the number one destination by Lonely Planet. Thanks to GetYourGuide we are looking forward to a successful year ahead and providing visitors with the best Sri Lanka holiday packages available.” 

In recent years, tourism in Sri Lanka has improved hugely, with activities like hiking and surfing now available, as well as better quality accommodation and improved transport. In 2018, international visitor numbers rose by 10.3 per cent to 2.3 million. The tourism boom is set to continue, with four million visitors expected in 2019–aided by Lonely Planet’s endorsement. 

About GetGo Tours

GetGo Tours is a leading travel company in Sri Lanka. GetGo can arrange anything from Sri Lanka group tours to Colombo, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya to Sri Lanka private tours and personalized tour packages. Tours can last one day, multiple days or several weeks, and include budget-friendly, three-star or five-star accommodation options to suit every traveller.  The company is based in Kandy and has been operating since 2011. For more information, visit https://getgotours.com.

About GetYourGuide

Founded in 2009, GetYourGuide is a global online platform allowing travellers to book professional tours all around the world. Altogether the platform lists more than 33,000 products, from sightseeing tours to tickets for specific attractions, helping travellers beat the queues. Travellers book directly through the platform. The company is based in Germany and has offices in 14 countries around the world.  For more information, visit https://www.getyourguide.co.uk.