Business travel
Tribute to SriLankan staff
"Milestones on our Journey," a publication by SriLankan Airlines was
launched to commemorate the achievements and challenges the National
Carrier faced over the past decade.
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The cover of the book |
Head of Corporate Communications SriLankan Airlines Chandana De Silva
said the book is a tribute to the staff of our airline-6000 of them
scattered, around the world who have served the company and country
faithfully through thick and thin.
He said this is a story of triumph over challenge - not just one but
multiple challenges. SriLankan Airlines has faced more trials in the
past decade than any company I can think of anywhere in the world, from
the destruction of half of our fleet of aircraft in the terror attack on
the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in July 2001, to the
tsunami of December 2004. Through it all, the members of the SriLankan
Airlines family have stood firm and resilient," said De Silva.
The book provides an insight into the many ways in which the airline
supported the country through its darkest days, aggressively promoting
the Indian Ocean island as a tourist destination; spending hundreds of
millions of rupees in marketing campaigns for the country and investing
billions of rupees in infrastructure at no cost to its shareholders or
the public while achieving profits in eight of the last ten years.
The 56-page book, published in Sinhala and English, also speaks of
the manner in which SriLankan has become an internationally renowned
airline, winning more than 50 awards since its partial privatisation in
1998, many of them global accolades.
The book also chronicles the company's diverse commercial activities
such as widening its route network to cover 54 cities in 28 countries;
turning Colombo into the gateway to South Asia; making Sri Lanka the air
cargo hub in the region; expanding its fleet with modern aircraft;
providing all ground handling and flight catering services at BIA;
providing maintenance services for other airlines and launching new
products and services such as the International Aviation Academy and
SriLankan Holidays.
It also describes the activities of SriLankan Cares, the charity arm
of the airline, in building schools and supporting the education of tens
of thousands of children throughout the nation.
De Silva said that except for two years - 2000 and 2001 the company
made profits and we have been able to share the benefits with our
shareholders four times during the ten - year stint.
Deputy General Secretary, Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Society and Head of
the Chennai Maha Bodhi Society, Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera called
upon De Silva to recommence the flight to Buddha Gaya for the
convenience of the pilgrims and also to consider giving tickets at a
concessionary rate for pilgrims travelling to India.
De Silva said that they will consider these two requests. Copies of
the book were presented to dignitaries of all religions.
SG
SriLankan MICE woo Indian MICE
SriLankan Airlines together with the Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau are
wooing big Indian business to think Sri Lanka for their next meeting.
Wrapping up a marathon run of meetings in Hyderabad and Bangalore in
September, SriLankan Airlines, the Conventions Bureau and the local
hotel and tour operators say they may have convinced more Indian
Business to come to Sri Lanka for their next MICE (Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences and Exhibition) event.
Coinciding with the road show and creating an opportunity for Indian
business to experience Sri Lanka's MICE facilities, SriLankan Airlines'
MICE division launched a series of all inclusive packages for Indian
businesses to hold their next meeting in Sri Lanka.
The joint industry initiative offers two nights three-day packages
and includes airfare, airport transfers in Sri Lanka, accommodation and
state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities.
Indian businesses can choose from a variety of settings for their
meeting from metropolitan Colombo to historic Kandy or the Cultural
Triangle to the tropical beaches. The airline's strong presence in India
with ten destinations and nearly 100 flights per week is an added
incentive to promote MICE traffic from all over the subcontinent. The
airline operates daily flights to Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The promotional offer will be available at all SriLankan Airlines
offices and partner travel agents in Hyderabad and Bangalore.
An estimated 20,000 Indians travelled for meetings and conferences to
Sri Lanka in 2006, with the Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau expecting to
attract over 800,000 out of the total nine million Indian out bound
traffic by end 2008.
Training for rural youth to secure hotel jobs in Gulf
The Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM)
launched a training program to equip youth in rural areas with skills to
secure employment in hotels in the Gulf States.
The first batch of trainees comprising 120 students completed their
training in English and are now following a course in industrial
training in reputed hotels in Kandy. The second batch comprising 160
youth completed institutional training last month and are now following
a course in industrial training.
Acting Director General SLITHM S. Kalaiselvam said around 60 youth
have registered for the third batch and the institute will commence
training in January.
Aitken Spence Hotel Management Services Ltd., has joined the program
and is training youth at its centre in Ahungalla.
The demand for skilled personnel will increase with the launch of
hotels in the Gulf region. The present requirement of skilled personnel
is around 75,000.
Sri Lanka has to compete with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to
obtain a share in the market, he said.
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