Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, started the operation of direct flights from Colombo to Kathmandu almost three years ago. Currently they are operating five direct flights per week, and now Nilina Pathirana, Country Manager of the airlines in Nepal, wants these flights to be more than just for travelling. He looks forward to enhancing tourism by promoting Sri Lanka as a leisure destination amongst Nepalis.
In a brief conversation with The Himalayan Times, the head honcho shared the attractive factors of Sri Lanka and the facilitation it is offering to travellers in the process:
Excerpts; interview has been edited for clarity and brevity
Why do you want to promote Sri Lanka as a leisure destination?
As a country we have faced many crisis - more than 30 years of civil war, tsunami, COVID-19 pandemic, Easter attack, the recent crisis. But the best part of Sri Lanka is that within a short period of time, we have bounced back. Now the recent problem has been political instability and economic crisis. But with certain initiatives of the current government, we are coming to a stable level.
One of the main aspects in that is tourism. Tourism is contributing five per cent to the current GDP of our country. So, as a national carrier, we want to support the government, country's certain initiative while getting some benefits as an airline.
Why should Nepalis visit Sri Lanka?
I see a lot of cultural and religious equalities and similarities amongst Sri Lankans and Nepali nationals. In Nepal, the majority of people are Hindus. And there are plenty of religiously valuable places in Sri Lanka where they can go, visit, and experience. The main is the Ramayana Trail.
They can also experience different cultural aspects of Sri Lanka.
To get the beach experience, Nepalis are currently travelling to the Maldives, which is 10 times more expensive than Sri Lanka. But there are lovely beaches in Sri Lanka. You can swim, see corals, snorkel, and dive. There are different water activities and water games and you can extend your vacation for that. You can also enjoy lovely mountains, safaris, and so many things. Sri Lanka is a compact destination, full of activities and experiences.
How affordable is the country for a tourist and for vacation?
In Sri Lanka, you get range of packages - from $150 to $1,000 - based on your requirements and property-wise. From three-star to five-star properties, resorts, luxury villas and more, there is everything.
What role does your airline play in the process?
Our main objective is to increase tourism, promoting the country as the leisure destination for Nepalis while promoting direct flights of Sri Lankan Airlines. There are five flights per week, except on Fridays and Saturdays. The return airfare ticket price is approximately Rs 75,000. That also varies with the packages. If the passengers are planning to go to Colombo, Sri Lankan Airlines can offer special package rates, with ticket discount. There are four-night five-day packages. All packages are between Rs 80,000 to Rs 95,000. That may however vary with the property and other factors. We can also customise the package as per the needs. We even assist with the visa, visa processing and other facilities.
Who are your target population?
It is the current Nepali passengers who are travelling to Thailand, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and pilgrimages as well.
Likewise, during Dashain and Tihar, most Nepali migrant workers are coming home, and flights do not have much demand when going out of the country. During these times, we can give them good ticket rates, and packages. The young generation in Nepal is going for short vacations then, and Sri Lanka could be the best new destination for them.
Are you, thinking of collaborating with Nepal government?
The next plan is to bring Sri Lankan tour operators and agents to Nepal, to promote Nepal to Sri Lankans. There is lack of knowledge about Sri Lanka amongst Nepalis, similarly Sri Lankans are also not fully aware about Nepal. Lankans are also focussing on Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore, and Dubai. For them we could easily add Nepal as a new destination.
Sri Lanka is also growing on adventure sports. And Nepal is an ideal place for adventure sports at a reasonable cost.
If everything works out, how many people do you look forward to carry both ways?
I want to bring 5,000 Sri Lankans to Nepal through the direct flights in the first year, and then gradually increase it. For Sri Lanka, I want to double it, to carry 10,000 people from Kathmandu to Sri Lanka because we have already taken a few steps and with that we managed to increase the number of passengers from 1,000 to 5,000. I'm getting a positive feedback from every Nepali travelling to Sri Lanka and about the Sri Lankan Airlines. So, I feel there's a huge potential and good opportunity to increase this market.
