Emirates Airlines, Tourism Promotion Bureau sign MoU

Emirates Airlines and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination. The agreement was signed at the Emirates headquarters in Dubai last Friday.

It was signed by Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and Emirates Senior Vice President Commercial Operations AhmedKhoory. Emirates has been operating flights to Sri Lanka for over 30 years. The company first launched flights to Sri Lanka on April 1, 1986. Emirates is one of the world’s leading airlines operating flights to Sri Lanka during the COVID epidemic. With the reopening of Sri Lanka to tourists from January 26, 2021, nearly 50,000 people have arrived in Sri Lanka by air from Emirates, according to airport reports.

These passengers have arrived from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. There are currently 21 Emirates flights arriving at the Katunayake Airport per week. Under the MoU, a joint promotion programme between the Tourism Promotion Bureau and Emirates Airlines will be implemented shortly.

Tourism exhibitions, conferences, workshops and promotional tours will be organized under this. Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that he hopes to implement joint programmes with the world’s leading international airlines in the future to promote Sri Lanka.

The Minister said that several international airlines are expected to launch new flights to Sri Lanka this year and discussions are underway with the relevant airlines in this regard. The Minister said that the signing of the MoU with Emirates Airlines to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination was a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.