(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance, in its endeavor to support the country’s revival of tourism in the context of para and post-pandemic travel, has resumed one of its award-winning marketing campaigns ‘Sri Lanka, the Next Door Neighbor’ appealing to the discerning Indian traveller.
During its first appearance, the campaign managed to bag the coveted titles, ‘Marketing-Carrier’ at Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2020 and two first star awards at the Golden City Gate Awards, ITB Berlin 2020.
The Airline resumes the globally acclaimed campaign at a time that Sri Lanka relaxes entry regulations, whereby fully vaccinated travellers are allowed to immerse in their desired destination experience without having to undergo quarantine and on arrival swab tests. Currently, India accounts for 279 million of fully vaccinated citizens—over 20 percent of its population, which has resulted in a reawakening interest for international travel.
In the perspective of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka, India has been one of the top five source markets, with 2019 recording India at the number one slot with over 18 percent of the total number of tourist arrivals. Complementing this was SriLankan Airlines connectivity strength to and from India, which is to date, its single largest market. At the time of the first global lockdown last year, SriLankan Airlines was operating over 100 flights a week from 11 major Indian cities, and currently the Airline has resumed operations to 9 cities, with anticipation to enhance connectivity and frequencies in the face of growing traveler demand.
The campaign will run in 8 main cities in India for a period of three months, with promotional content on experiencing Sri Lanka on SriLankan Airlines, being aired and displayed across radio channels, hoardings, publications, digital media respectively.
The campaign is an invitation to the Indian audience to experience Sri Lanka like never before. It unveils the timeless beauty of Sri Lanka’s multi-faceted attractions, primarily appealing to the holidaymakers, with certain visuals featuring the popular Bollywood star with Sri Lankan roots, Jacqueline Fernandez. The underlying message of the campaign is that an Indian traveler does not have to look very far for exciting or serene getaways when Sri Lanka is right next door.
