Aitken Spence Travels, top destination management company in Sri Lanka in collaboration with Coral Travel and their airline charter arm, Royal flight facilitated their first charter flight from Russia to Sri Lanka for the winter 2016/17. The charter arrived on November 1 at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
The maiden voyage which consisted of 300 passengers, a high inbound volume from this source market, marks the first of three charter flights per month till the end of May 2017. Over 5,000 passengers are expected to arrive in Destination Sri Lanka on this charter.
Following the water cannon welcome carried out to mark the new charter flight, the visitors were treated to a traditional Sri Lankan welcome comprising drummers, dancers, flowers, along with refreshing king-coconuts. Subsequently, they were transferred to their respective beach properties.
Coral Travel steered this operation in collaboration with Aitken Spence Travels.
The two companies have enjoyed a longstanding partnership in promoting Destination Sri Lanka and the charter is made possible due to the strong belief and the commitment Coral Travel has on Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence.
“It’s remarkable that we have succeeded in bringing down a thrice monthly charter, considering that arrivals from Russia are on the decline. Russia has undergone many difficulties including the depreciation of the Ruble, Russians opting for short travel, etc.
However, now that we have succeeded in bringing this charter we are confident that the Russian tourists will be enchanted by the beautiful beaches and other attractions Sri Lanka has to offer, commented Darell de Crusz, Vice President – Aitken Spence Travels.
“The Russian arrivals to the country currently stand at a negative, where Sri Lanka recorded 35,810 arrivals last month, a negative 16% compared to the 42,552 arrivals in the same period, last year.
We have had to constantly change our strategies to maintain numbers from this market and this is a great accomplishment in the light of these efforts,” concluded Crusz.
Aitken Spence Travels, is a fully owned subsidiary of Aitken Spence PLC with an estimated annual inbound volume of 130,000 tourists with an award-winning outfit of travel and tourism professionals.
Pictures: Kumarasiri Prasad
- Airport Cor.