Sri Lanka has commenced discussions with Australia pertaining to direct flights from Perth to Colombo in a bid to promote Sri Lankan tourism in Australia.
Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando told NewsWire that the discussions were held on the sidelines of the preliminary Sri Lanka Tourism Roadshow launched in Perth, Australia this week.
The roadshow was kick-started by Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, together with Sri Lanka Tourism Ambassador Sanath Jayasuriya, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka for Western Australia Rosh Jalagge, and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chalaka Gajabahu.
On the sidelines of the roadshow held for targetted audiences, discussions were also held with the Deputy Premier, Treasurer, and Minister of Transport and Tourism of the Government of Western Australia Rita Saffioti.
Minister Harin Fernando stated that an initial round of discussion was held with Rita Saffioti on launching direct flights from Perth to Colombo.
The discussion was followed by an event held for industry experts, including travel agents and the Sri Lankan community in Western Australia on promoting Sri Lanka as a tourist destination.
Minister Fernando stated that intense discussions on holding a grand Tourism Roadshow targeting 2024, key factors that could be marketed, and the various avenues to be promoted were held during the event.
Following the Tourism Roadshow in Perth, the Sri Lankan delegation moved on to Sydney for a similar event to promote tourism in Sri Lanka.
According to Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister, an event was held where one-on-one discussions were held with travel agents from Sydney.
Minister Harin Fernando revealed that discussions were also held with Qantas Airways, the flag carrier of Australia and Jetstar/ EasyJet.“Travel from Perth to Colombo will only take 06 ½ hours. There is a big opening to promote Sri Lankan tourism,” he added.Minister Fernando stated that discussions were also held with other stakeholders on matters related to Sydney.
From Sydney, the Tourism Roadshow has now moved on to Melbourne, with the aim of further promoting Sri Lanka Tourism targeting 2024. (NewsWire)