SriLankan Airlines concludes Buddhist Tour Operators’ Conference 2023

SriLankan Airlines recently hosted a conference for Buddhist tour operators to create awareness on the services especially tailored to Buddhist pilgrims by the airline. Buddhist pilgrims are an important travel segment for SriLankan, and the airline works hand in hand with tour operators to find solutions to their travel needs.

Over 100 Buddhist tour operators participated in the conference as well as the Overseas Buddhist Tour Organizers Association and Buddhist Overseas Pilgrimage Tour Organizers Association of Sri Lanka. Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution and Jayantha Abeysinghe, Regional Manager Sri Lanka & Indian Ocean of SriLankan Airlines shared the airline’s operational plans and insights with the participants. The discussion that followed between the airline’s representatives and tour operators aimed to jointly identify solutions to current problems and opportunities to regrow the outbound Buddhist pilgrim travel market that, like every other type of international travel, was disrupted in the past few years.

SriLankan Airlines further took the opportunity to roll out a group identification sticker for Buddhist pilgrims and a registration drive for the Buddhist tour operators’ loyalty programme targeting new pilgrim operators. SriLankan Airlines has a history of being highly adept at serving the distinctive needs of pilgrims from operating relief flights for those stranded in India due to COVID-19 to seasonal charter flights for groups on a spiritual journey to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi. SriLankan currently offers Buddhist pilgrims travel options to Buddhist holy sites in India via Chennai and Delhi. For more information, visit www.srilankan.com