Aimed at collectively inventing and improving new strategies to attract more tourists to the region, APOT. Asia is a global body with a member-base ranging from airline in-flight products and service suppliers, airline caterers, catering product suppliers, airline managements, hospitality partners and media organizations.
“I am honoured to be appointed the Chairman of APOT Asia, which is an organization that works extensively towards promoting tourism in the region. This is not a personal achievement or that of the Airline alone. This is a collective effort of the entire country that has been once again recognized at a global forum. As the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines has been working tirelessly towards making Sri Lanka an aviation hub in Asia as set down in the development goals of the Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma programme, introduced by the visionary leadership of President Manhinda Rajapaksa,” said the Chairman-elect Mr. Wickremasinghe.
APOT. Asia has been raising awareness on the region’s tourism potential through educating stakeholders on tourist attractions, business and investment opportunities. It shares, educates and discusses ground-breaking ideas and new tourism trends that can be utilized to increase the number of tourist arrivals.
At the 2014 June Forum in Danang, Vietnam, Wickremasinghe was among the invited speakers. This year, with SriLankan Airlines’ Chairman at the helm, APOT- Asia is planning to hold its next annual forum in Sri Lanka in 2015 with over 250 delegates in attendance. Commenting on the event, Wickremasinghe added, “I am confident that the mileage gained out of this could be diverted to further promote the country as an ideal tourist destination that has something in store for any type of traveller and SriLankan Airlines, as the perfect way to get there.”
Wickremasinghe was appointed Chairman of the SriLankan Airlines’ Group which includes SriLankan Catering, in June 2009 on a mandate to take the airline forward and expand its operations in conjunction with an ambitious tourism development plan, envisaged by the present Government of Sri Lanka.
SriLankan Airlines, the National Airline of Sri Lanka, is an award winning carrier with a firm reputation as a global leader in service, comfort, safety, reliability, and punctuality. Launched in 1979, SriLankan is currently expanding and further diversifying its wide range of products and services in order to drive the country’s on-going boom in tourism and economic development. The airline’s hubs are located at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Hambantota providing convenient connections to its global route network of 89 destinations in 44 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Far East, North America, Australia and Africa.
SriLankan Airlines joined oneworld airline alliance on May 1st, this year as the first carrier from the Indian Sub-continent. SriLankan now flies alongside some of the biggest and premier brands in the airline business – airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian and S7 airlines.
The speciality of the APOT. Asia’s forums is that they are held in leisure destinations in a relaxed atmosphere where the products and service providers can showcase their products to a larger audience, consisting, travel agents, sales teams and delegates of the aviation and hospitality industries.(KH)
