Direct flights can spur more tourist arrivals from France
Non availability of direct flights from France to Sri Lanka has affected French tourists visiting Sri Lanka and to facilitate tourist arrivals from Paris to Colombo direct flights will be beneficial, said the Chairman of Salaun Holidays of France Michelle Salaun following the opening of a Computer Centre at the temple of Audangawa at Sigiriya, at the weekend.
French and Belgium journalists on arrival at the airport.
He said although the flow of French tourists to Sri Lanka slowed down over the years, it has been picking up gradually. Arrivals of tourists from France to Sri Lanka this year will be the same as two years ago and Salaun Holidays in France is aggressively promoting Sri Lanka as a holiday destination for the French tourists. He stressed the importance of giving adequate publicity on French newspapers and in television advertisements on Sri Lanka as a safe holiday destination. “We were able to bring down French and Belgian media groups, promotin Sri Lanka as a holiday destination. A combination package tour has been arranged for French tourists to visit Dubai and Sri Lanka where they will stay for 10 days in Sri Lanka and two days in Dubai with an arrangement made with the Emirates Group.” Asked whether French tourists come here seeking native health herbal care treatment, he said publicity in the French media can help promote such products.
French Ambassador for Sri Lanka Eric Lavertu, also speaking at the opening of the computer centre, said that the tourist community in France and people in Sri Lanka have contributed to the setting of up of this Computer Centre as a private project to educate the youth in the area which is frequented by many tourists.
Chandra Wickremasinghe, Chairman of Connaissance de Ceylan and Theme Resorts & Spas, said that they believe in sustainable tourism specially in an area such as Audangawa, Sigiriya.
“We built 96 rooms six years ago and today we have 420 rooms employing 850 people at the Aliya Resort & Apas at Audangawa, Sigiriya.”
He said that a charitable organisation that belongs to his group have set up computer centres in the island to offer free computer and English training programmes to students in those areas. “This was the fourth Computer Centre set up in Audangawa area to educate students who lack such facilities in their schools .There are 2500 students at the Dambulla School nearby with only 15 computers and the school at Digampathana close by with 450 students has one computer for all the students.” The projects are also funded by Salaun Holidays in France and the money spent on the building and computers is around Rs. 5 million, Mr. Wickramasinghe said.