Cruise Calls - Sri Lanka lures Indian tourists by sea
Sri Lanka has struck a deal with the world's fifth largest cruise line to attract Indian tourists to the island by cruise ship, officials said.
Louis Cruise Lines, based in Cyprus, has begun weekly calls at Colombo port with its cruise ship Aquamarine which can carry 1,200 passengers.
The Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau said the vessel, which will sail between Cochin, Male and Colombo, is the first regular fixed-day cruise to Sri Lanka in recent times.
Louis Cruises Managing Director Oneil Khosa said that, based on average load factors, the line is confident of being able to bring 30,000 Indian visitors to the island within five months.
He said there was much potential as Sri Lanka was still not drawing many Indians given the size of the Indian outbound market.
"Louis Cruise Lines will work together with the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau to promote Colombo as a cruise destination," Khosa told a news conference aboard the Aquamarine on its maiden call to Colombo Monday.
The cruise line has signed a deal with the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau to promote Colombo as a cruise destination, he said.
The Aquamarine brought 200 travel agents along with passengers on her maiden call.
The Tourism Promotion Bureau said the cruise calls are expected to increase the number of Indian tourists visiting the island by 4,000 a month.
Its chairman Bernard Goonetilleke said Sri Lanka can now attract Indian visitors to the island not only by air but by sea as well.
"There are many connections by air between India and Sri Lanka but hardly any by sea (for passengers). This is the first such service. I believe it is going to be an interesting period for us."
Tourism Minister Achala Jagoda said that with the end of the island's ethnic war the authorities were trying to lure more tourists from the Asian region.
Tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka has seen a sharp increase since May when government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers, ending their 30-year separatist war.
In recent years India has also emerged as one of the main tourist generating markets for Sri Lanka.
Pricing on cruises aboard the Aquamarine is "aggressive" Khosa said with rates starting from an all-inclusive 100 dollars a night for a passenger accommodated in a basic cabin to 250 dollars for a 'royal suite'.
"We will extend prices even lower than these to Sri Lankan travel agents," he said, in an effort to encourage Sri Lankans to take cruises.
"We are also keen to develop the outbound market from Colombo to Cochin and Colombo to Male. The travel agents say there is appetite for outbound tours."
The Aquamarine will call at Colombo port on Monday afternoon and depart on Tuesday afternoon.
(Source: LBO – 08th December, 2009)