DRColombo: SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance, was awarded two prestigious titles at the World Travel Awards 2018 Asia and Australasia Ceremony held at InterContinental Grand Standford in Hong Kong the other day.
Whilst the Airline’s launch campaign to Australia titled ‘Two Cities. One Spirit’ was awarded the ‘Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign 2018’ accolade, SriLankan managed to defend the familiar title ‘Asia’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean 2018’ for the second consecutive year.
Vipula Gunatilleka, Group Chief Executive Officer, SriLankan Airlines said, “SriLankan Airlines’ emphasis has been on systematic and focused growth in certain markets to reposition the Airline as a leader in the region through product/frequency enhancements and induction of new destinations. Our consolidated strength in the Indian Sub-continent has allowed us to offer a wider choice of travel to customers across our global network. Impactful marketing communication activations, on the other hand, have been instrumental in cementing the Airline’s brand presence in our focus markets. These two awards bear testimony to the fact that our efforts have been holistically effective.”
Saminda Perera, General Manager Marketing, SriLankan Airlines said, “We, at SriLankan Airlines, are delighted to receive two coveted awards at the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia Ceremony, this year. Whilst one award reinforces our stature as a leader in the ISC region, the other recognises the innovativeness and universal appeal of our marketing communications endeavours.”
The campaign conducted for the launch of new destination – Melbourne, ‘Two cities. One spirit’ stems from a place of honouring and celebrating the affinity between Australia and Sri Lanka. This was aimed to appeal to the Sri Lankan diaspora in Melbourne and the Australians who are attracted to adventure on the island. The creative executions were inspired by characteristics that exist in both Sri Lankan and Australian cultures, expressed through visuals that celebrate the similar vivacity and passion deeply rooted in food, art, cricket, surfing and the iconic wildlife that are inherent to both destinations.
This was a creative collaboration between the Airline and its creative agency, JWT Sri Lanka, and this was the second award bestowed upon the campaign after the First Star award at the Golden City Gate Awards, ITB Berlin this year.
Since the launch that took place in October last year, the Airline’s operations to Melbourne has been commercially successful and the impactful marketing activations have been a contributing factor to this success.
Given the increasing demand and the overwhelming positive feedback of passengers who prefer the convenience of direct flights, the Airline will be deploying its state-of-the-art Airbus 330-300 aircraft on daily direct flights between Colombo and Melbourne from October 28, 2018.
The Airline’s A330-300s equipped with a range of novelties such mood-lighting, spacious cabins with full flatbed seats in the Business Class, a wide range of entertainment features such as movies, live news and weather updates, sports, music, games and WIFI and GSM connectivity options to make calls or surf the internet during the journey.
