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The Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau in conjunction with SriLankan Airlines are receiving excellent response from Middle East tourists since they 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 free (below the ages of 12 years) per paying adult sharing the parent's room as an industry standard during the summer months till August 31st 2008.
"We are pleased to announce this family-friendly package for the summer season to encourage more Middle East visitors to our destination," said HE Faiszer Mustapha, MP & Deputy Minister of Tourism in a written statement to the media. "This family-oriented promotion will be the norm throughout the summer," he said.
"The family is an integral part of our business and we believe in offering all the tools to ensure that our guests' needs are looked after," HE Mustapha noted.
HE Mustapha added that competition in the travel industry was intense. "It is vital to understand the needs of our travel origin markets and formulate programs to capitalise on opportunities and gain market share and Sri Lanka with this family-package and value added services is well positioned to capture a fair share of the market," he emphasised.
Destination Sri Lanka recently reported a surge in tourist industry arrivals in March which were up 8.6% over the same period last year. The highest performer during the period was the Middle East, which registered an increase of 80.6% in comparison with 2007.
Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director, SriLanka Tourism Promotion Bureau added: "To maintain high levels of growth we are implementing a series of measures to ensure that a more balanced growth is achieved and we are consequently increasing our investment in marketing in the Middle East."
"We are initiating new approaches to manage tourism flows and have taken the first step in this direction by initiating the family package to Sri Lanka during the summer. Middle East consumers are spoilt for choice and are very much driven by the needs of the family and through this promotion we are in a position to pass on a very good value for money package," Mr. Mudadeniya added.
SriLankan Holidays' General Manager, Amith Sumanapala said, "We have tied up with three trade partners namely Connaissance De Ceylan, Jetwing Travels and Walkers Tours to give holidaymakers a world of memories on the island holiday."
In this latest initiative to promote tourism to Sri Lanka, SriLankan Holidays will give away a free holiday package for each child under the age of 12 accompanying an adult who has purchased a special SriLankan Holidays package to the tropical island between June and August.
The "Kids Go Free" special offer, which includes economy class airfare, star class accommodation for two nights and three days with an international buffet breakfast, hotel transfers and fuel surcharge, starts at AED 3050 from Dubai and AED 2360 from Abu Dhabi.
Holidaymakers can opt for a shopping spree in Colombo or head south for some sun, sand, surf and serious water sports or take the cultural route and head inland to Kandy for their vacation.
SLTPB has commenced an integrated marketing campaign in the Middle East to maximize awareness of the promotion as well as the destination that avails of traditional and non-traditional media across all channels including direct mail, personal marketing visits, promotions and workshops, public relations, advertising, roadshows and exhibitions, tele-marketing, e-newsletters, the web and e-mail as well as hosting of familiarization visits.
SriLankan Airlines' Regional Manager of the Commercial Department, Mohamed Fazeel said, "We are confident that this new family package will encourage both Arab and expat travellers from the region to experience destination Sri Lanka and is in line with our strategy to increase our leisure travel focus, catering to Arab nationals as well as Western and Asian expatriates," he remarked.
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