MasterCard and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Collaborate to Boost Cross- Border tourism
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- Published on Saturday, 15 September 2012 19:55
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New agreement aims to deliver great travel experiences to MasterCard cardholders and promote Sri Lanka as a premier travel destination for tourists in India
MasterCard cardholders traveling to Sri Lanka will soon have even more reasons to enjoy there stay. MasterCard Worldwide and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau have signed an agreement yesterday (14) to facilitate the development of cross border tourism, with a specific focus on attracting India’ s tourists. The five year agreement aims to promote Sri Lanka as a premier tourist destination for Indian travelers and deliver great travel experiences for MasterCard and Maestro cardholders through special offers and benefits.
The agreement comes on the heels of recent positive growth for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry as well as the country’s ambitious strategy to reach 2.5 million visitors by 2016.International tourism arrivals in Sri Lanka hit a record of 856,000 in 2011 with growth rate of 30.79% over 2e010 which itself was a phenomenal increase in growth rate of 46.12% over 2009.
Mr. Rumy Jauffer ,Managing Director , Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau was instrumental in conceptualizing the association and was the driving force in bringing together the various stakeholders to from this association.
As per a report published by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority in 2011.India is the largest source of tourist into Sri Lanka contributing to 20.84% of the total tourists visiting the country.
Mr. T.V. Seshadri, Division President, South Asia .MasterCard Worldwide, said, “This alliance underscores our optimism regarding t he potential of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry ,as well as our commitment to developing and promoting cross border tourism between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Laka is rich in culture and heritage and an attractive destination for both leisure and business travelers. We’re excited to be able to deliver even greater travel experiences to MasterCard cardholders in the incredible country through our work with the SLTPB ”
The agreement will see MasterCard and SLTPB jointly exploring and implementing activities targeted at the tourism market in Sri Lanka. This complement MasterCard ongoing objective to promote overseas tourism and adds its list of ongoing initiatives such as priceless Cities and the Great Singapore Sale.
