DOHA: SriLankan Airlines has offered a slew of holiday packages to Sri Lanka, India and the Far East at highly competitive rates and with a variety of attractions for tourists from Qatar, Ajith De Alwis, the airline's country manager for Qatar and Bahrain said here yesterday.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Ajith said three types of holiday packages were available for tourists - one which combines Sri Lanka and India, another which combines Sri Lanka with a destination in the Far East such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong; and the third, which includes Sri Lanka, India and a city in the Far East.
Each package consists of return air tickets between Doha and the destinations, accommodation in the class of hotel preferred by the tourist, return transfers between the airport and hotel at all points and sight-seeing, if opted for by the traveller.
He said that the package combining Sri Lanka and India was ideal for Indian expatriates who are travelling home for their holidays, since at a little extra cost, they can explore a new country, which has various attractions such as wildlife, culture and heritage, adventure and leisure beaches on offer.
"Western and other communities who wish to explore the subcontinent will also find these packages attractive due to the pricing, especially since it combines two countries, Sri Lanka and India. They can choose between three to 14 days stay or more, depending upon their requirements," he added.
Indian expatriates, he said, could also utilise these packages to visit three countries briefly, during the holidays.
"They can travel on SriLankan Airlines to Colombo and, after a short holiday on the island, travel to the Far East. After returning to Colombo, they can travel to their destination in India and return to Doha via the Sri Lankan capital," he added.
He said that these packages offer total convenience, since all ground arrangements at the destinations would be made by SriLankan Holidays, the leisure division of the Sri Lankan flag carrier.
Those who wish to travel only to the Far East with the airline for business or leisure, can also avail of these packages to visit Sri Lanka on the way. Citizens of most countries get visa upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake near Colombo, which, in most cases, is offered free of cost, including to Indian nationals.
© The Peninsula 2004
