There has been about 72 per cent growth in the number of Sri Lankan visas issued to Omanis from January 1 to September this year, said an official of the Sri Lankan embassy in Muscat.

"In 2013, the number of Omanis who visited Sri Lanka was 7,643. This year till September the figure reached 10,772. Sri Lanka is becoming the most sought after destination for Omani tourists," N.L.A. Haleem, the charge d'affaires at the Sri Lankan embassy in Muscat, told Times of Oman.

Haleem was speaking on the sidelines of 'Meet in Sri Lanka', a programme organised to promote the island nation as a Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) destination.

The programme was arranged in association with Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, the embassy in Muscat, SriLankan Airlines and travel operators. According to a top official from the Sri Lankan Convention Bureau, since 2010, an exponential growth has been witnessed in the number of foreigners visiting the island nation.

Growth trajectory

"In 2013, the number was one million. In 2014 till date it has touched 1.5 million and by the end of this year we expect it to grow to two million. In 2015, we expect it to be 2.5 million," Achini Dandunnage, senior manager at Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, told Times of Oman. "Of the visitors, 10 to 12 per cent visit the country for MICE. Many world class hotels are coming up in Sri Lanka.

The beauty of the land and facilities available in the country is attracting more visitors," added Achini.

By 2016, the Sri Lankan tourism ministry is planning to increase the room capacity to 45,000. Recently, many global conferences have been held there and one such conference of 1,500 gynaecologists will be held in Sri Lanka sometime in the future, said the official.

"The revenue from tourism activities is in the number two spot when compared to other revenues and soon it will be number one in the country. Out of the total tourism related revenue 10 to 15 per cent is from MICE," added the official.

Meanwhile, Deepal Pallegangoda, country manager of SriLankan Airlines, said that code sharing with Oman Air has resulted in an increase in the capacity and provision of flexible fares. "We are also witnessing a growth in the number of tickets sold. The association with Oman Air is also helping us a lot," added Deepal.

"Mezoon Travels, the GSA, which is handling SriLankan Airlines for the last three decades in Oman, has more plans on the anvil to promote the Sri Lankan tourism industry.

New franchisee

"From 2010, there has been a massive growth in the number of tourists visiting from Oman. Recently, SriLankan Airlines, in association with Mezoon, appointed one more travel franchisee to promote Sri Lankan holiday packages in Oman to strengthen the Sri Lankan tourism market," said Deepal.

Today, SriLankan Airlines operates four flights a week carrying an average of 2,500 passengers a month serviced by six dedicated staff members.

"SriLankan Airlines is one of the foreign carriers operating scheduled services to Oman without a break for the last 32 years. We are glad to be part of this success," said Renny Johnson, executive director at Mezoon Travels.
(Times of Oman)