SLTB to further develop Indian sector

New Delhi, Apr 19 (UNI) Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), today announced an increased level of interest in the Indian market with an augmented 100 per cent budget allocation for communications, to develop the Indian sector further.

Under an intiation, 'New Vision Plan' being formulated by the Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry and the SLTB, the plan is both tactical and thematic in nature.

''India-Sri Lanka relations have undergone a qualitative and quantitative transformation in the recent past. India is the largest contributor in terms of arrivals and fourth largest in revenue,'' said SLTB in a statement.

The promotional schemes are varied each offering customised products to a targeted traveller segment skewed further art, culture, entertainment primarily for the Southern Indian states.

'Visit Sri Lanka' campaign would be held for a month to capture the Indian holiday summer season. This package is competitively priced at RS 9,999, which includes return airfare, accommodation, transfers, sight-seeing and inclusive of taxes. The package cost ex-Delhi and ex-Mumbai is priced at Rs 13,599 and Rs 14,999 respectively.

''The Board in its continuous endeavours aims to position the destination as a short-haul holistic getaway,'' SLTB Additional Director General Dileep Mudadeniya said in the statement.

Indian travellers can easily explore at competitive prices in Sri Lanka. According to the board it will target the young and suave Indian traveller varying between the age-group of 25 and above from the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Moving beyond the regular Colombo circuit the board this time, will also be promoting tourism by reviving religious cultural ties through Buddhist and Ramayana trails.

For year 2006, Sri Lanka received 128,370 Indian tourist arrivals registering an overall increase of 13. 3 per cent as compared to 2005 arrival figures.

UNI