The Hindu Business Line : SriLankan to launch Goa-Colombo service

The Sri Lankan Tourism Board has decided to launch a `Spice Festival' enlisting the services of leading international chefs to offer rich fare of delicacies.

Bangalore , Aug. 29

SriLankan Airlines will be launching its new service to Goa from Colombo in October.

SriLankan is already operating 100 flights a week from ten destinations in India. According to Mr Chandana De Silva, Head of Corporate Communications, SriLankan Airlines, the Goa-Sri Lanka circuit offered a huge potential.

Mr Chandana, who was here in connection with the announcement of a tie-up between SriLankan and the Maldives Tourism Board for a dual destination package, told Business Line that the tourist flow from India, which averaged 1,00,000 every year, was growing at 10 to 12 per cent.

He said the Sri Lankan Government itself was stepping up its efforts to attract more tourists from India and it was also planning to shift its focus to promoting a niche market for the high net worth Indian visitors, particularly from the affluent Southern Indian states.

The Sri Lankan Tourism Board has drawn up many plans to attract tourists and it recently decided to launch a `Spice Festival' enlisting the services of leading international chefs to offer rich fare of delicacies.

On Sri Lanka as a viable destination, Mr De Silva said the country offered a reasonable hotel tariff, which averaged about $70 per night in Colombo while it was $30 cheaper in other important cities.

Apart from its traditional heritage and coastal attractions, Sri Lanka is also emerging as an important shopping destination among tourists, he said.