The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Vienna, in coordination with Aitken Spence Travels Ltd., and Air Arabia Office in Vienna hosted a “Tour Operators Awareness Program” for Austrian tour operators at the Embassy premises on 22 May 2025.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Austria M.R.K. Lenagala commended the role of tour operators and tourism sector representatives in promoting Sri Lanka among European travellers. He noted that tourist numbers have gradually reached pre-COVID-19 levels and are showing an upward trend. He emphasised the importance of the Austrian market to Sri Lanka, recalling the success of recent Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau activities, including Sri Lanka’s participation at Austria’s annual International Tourism Exhibition (Ferien Messe).
He expressed confidence that ongoing promotional efforts in Austria and neighboring countries will contribute to Sri Lanka’s target of attracting 3 million tourists in 2025. The Ambassador also acknowledged Air Arabia for resuming charter flight operations, addressing a gap caused by the suspension of such services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representing Aitken Spence Travels, Assistant General Manager (German Market) Sampath Perera made a presentation on Sri Lanka’s potential as an exotic destination. Air Arabia in Austria Regional Manager Siegfried Schneider presented the airline’s travel packages, noting that Air Arabia operates flights to Sharjah and onward to several Asian destinations, with the majority of bookings bound for Colombo.
He announced that flight frequency has increased to five per week, with plans to operate daily during the winter season.
Aitken Spence Travels and Air Arabia distributed holiday vouchers, including air tickets, to three tour operators for familiarisation tours to Sri Lanka.
Ceylon Tea was served with Sri Lankan delicacies, and bags of tea were gifted to the 17 Austrian tour operators in attendance. Tourism promotional videos were also screened.
