SriLankan Airlines reported a 33 per cent surge in tourist traffic to Far Eastern destinations including Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore among leisure travellers from the Sultanate of Oman.

V. Ravindran, Sri Lankan Airlines’ Manager of Oman, said: “An increasing number of Omani nationals and expats chose to travel with SriLankan on their way to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore for holidays during the summer and made a stopover in Colombo as part of their itinerary.”

“Among the three Far Eastern destinations, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is the firm favourite of the Omani traveller.”

This summer, the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in conjunction with SriLankan Airlines announced that prominent hotels and resorts across Sri Lanka will extend a value added benefit for Middle East travellers by offering a free stay for one child (below 12 years) per paying adult sharing the parent’s room as an industry standard during summer and ending on August 31st 2008.

Destination Sri Lanka too recently reported a surge in tourist industry arrivals. The highest performer in recent months was the Middle East, which registered an increase of 80.6% in comparison with 2007.

SriLankan Airlines also offers direct flights to the Maldives a group of idyllic, tropical and serene islands that have all the ingredients for a relaxing luxury holiday. Maldives offers some of the worlds’ best luxury resorts varying from 20 to 300 rooms.

Flights from the Middle East to Colombo connect with onward services to the Maldives, 11 key destinations in India, seven destinations in the Far East including Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Thailand. 

SriLankan Airlines fleet consists of Airbus A340, A330 and A320 aircraft and the carrier was recently awarded the prestigious Imperial Mark, a global accolade of excellence in recognition of its exceptional levels of service and quality. SriLankan Airlines is the only airline in Asia to be honoured with this award.

© 2008 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)