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SriLankan Airlines begins
flights to Beijing |
SriLankan Airlines have commenced a
three-times-a-week service between Colombo and Beijing, to tap the large
tourism market potentials in China.
The flights will operate from Colombo to Beijing via Bangkok every
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Peter Hill, SriLankan Airlines' chief executive officer, said the
company aims to develop a daily service on the route in the near future.
"We also hope to expand our services to other cities in China, such as
Shanghai and Guangzhou," he said.
The airline, which currently flies to 49 destinations in 27 countries, will
be initially focusing on the huge family travel and leisure market from
China to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, as well as providing the Chinese
traveller with convenient connections to other points in South Asia, the
Middle East and Europe, said Hill.
The route will be in keeping with SriLankan's vision of making Colombo
the hub of South Asia, while promoting the Maldives and Sri Lanka as twin
holiday destinations to Chinese travellers, he said.
Hill said the company is working closely with outbound travel agencies in Beijing
and inbound tourism agencies in Sri Lanka in a bid to develop packages for
those Chinese travellers who have a special demand for culture tours and
inland adventure in Sri Lanka.
SriLankan Airlines is the national carrier of Sri Lanka, a beautiful
island nation off the coast of southern India, strategically situated in
the Indian Ocean with easy access to various points in Asia, Europe and
Australia.
The country is rich in natural beauty, wildlife heritage, and
millennia-old ancient ruins, he added.
There are only half a million tourists around the world going to Sri
Lanka each year at the moment.
But Hill predicts the figure will grow by 50,000 to 100,000 annually in
the coming few years.
Hill sees great potential in the Chinese market.
"This is a market with 1.3 billion people, 50 million of whom already
use air travel. With its gross domestic product growing 9.5 per cent year
on year, this is the market for the future, and we are entering it right
on time," he said.
Sri Lankan Airlines has signed interline agreements with four airlines
in China. They are Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Dragonair.
Passengers anywhere in China will have easy access to the SriLankan
network of destinations, and passengers flying into China can travel on
SriLankan up to Beijing and hop on to domestic flights with ease, Hill
said.
SriLankan has carried out a series of promotional events to lay the
groundwork for the operations in China.
The airlines opened a ticket office in Beijing last September.
Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lanka's minister of aviation and ports,
travelled with the first service to Beijing yesterday, to promote tourism
ties between Sri Lanka and China.
A series of roadshows is being held in many provinces throughout 2005,
targeting travel agencies and customers.
There are other events being held in close co-operation with the Sri
Lanka Tourist Board.
It is hoped that the launch of services to Beijing will now add a different cultural dialogue to the strong diplomatic and trade relations the
two countries already enjoy, Hill said.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-06-16 16:29
