More tourist traffic predicted from SL to Singapore with the onset of economic stability

By Hiran H.Senewiratne

Sri Lanka’s economy will become more stable in the future and that would enable more Sri Lankans to visit Singapore, which has plenty of things to offer Sri Lankan tourists, Regional Director, Singapore Tourism Board for India, Middle East and South Asia G.B. Srithar said.

“We are here to re-engage with Sri Lankan travelers and warmly welcome them back to Singapore by increasing the number of flights to Singapore. The City State is fully open and welcomes visitors from all over the world, Srithar told a media forum held recently in Colombo organized by Singapore Airlines’ General Sales Agent in Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence Aviation.

Srithar stressed that Sri Lanka is an important market for Singapore tourism given the strong connections the relevant peoples have made, culturally, economically and politically for many decades. Singapore is one of two countries to offer Sri Lankans 30-day visas on arrival, the other country being the Maldives.

Srithar, who last visited Sri Lanka in 2017, revealed that Singapore saw the highest tourist arrivals from Sri Lanka, numbering 114,000 in 2018 before declining to around 99,000 in 2019. A lifting of Covid-linked restrictions in 2022, saw a pick-up in travel to Singapore with 36,000 visitors from Sri Lanka.

“We are confident of numbers increasing in 2023. The average length of stay has seen a welcome increase to 7.2 days from 4.4 days in 2019. This means Sri Lankans are staying longer and enjoying the Singapore experience. We want more Sri Lankans to come and do the same, Srithar said, pointing to Sri Lanka too experiencing improved stability after its economic crisis of last year.

“Airfares may likely come down with the increase in flights to Sri Lanka. The Boeing B787-10s Dreamliner flights are fitted with 337 seats across two classes (36 lie-flat seats in Business Class on 1-2-1 seating configuration and 301 seats in Economy Class on 3-3-3 seating configuration). Compared to the previously operated Airbus A350, the Boeing B787-10 brings 34 more seats, he added.

Speaking of new attractions, Srithar said Singapore now has a Museum of Ice Cream, while on May 8, a brand new Bird Paradise will be opened within Mandai wildlife reserve in Singapore, which also has a zoo, Bird Park and a Night Safari. He also revealed that for the first time Singapore will have a Disney Cruise available year-round for five years from 2025.

Previously Singapore Airlines had been operating an Airbus A350 and from recently it deployed the 337-seat Boeing B787-10 Dreamliner, which increased seat capacity by 11 per cent in addition to extra cargo space, sources said.

Singapore Airlines General Manager, Sri Lanka, Zac Liew said that the airline will increase frequency from the current 4 times a week to daily from October, given the rebound in air travel between Colombo and Singapore.

“The daily frequency would mean SIA’s capacity is reverting to almost pre-COVID levels. It used to operate 9 flights per week. SIA expresses the hope that it could further expand capacity as well in tandem with demand, he said.

“Sri Lanka is one of our important markets and we have been in operation for 53 years with Aitken Spence as our General Sales Agent. We are glad to expand our services in Sri Lanka and thereby support the revival in tourism, Zac said.

As part of this renewed push in Sri Lanka, Singapore Tourism Board along with SIA met with over 70 travel agents in Sri Lanka. It was Singapore Tourism Board’s first engagement with the travel industry in post-COVID times.