Aitken Spence Travels welcomed 4,000 cruise tourists to Sri Lanka on the eve of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. 
The luxurious cruise ships MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica docked into the Port of Colombo, with the atmosphere filled with excitement and celebrations.
The shore excursion teams from Aitken Spence Travels were on site, ready to delight these visitors with an array of experiences that showcased the very best of Sri Lanka during the holiday season. 

From exploring the vibrant local culture through traditional dance shows, enjoying the wonderful tuk-tuk rides, experiencing the city life and visiting a variety of attractions to enjoying an unforgettable trip to Sri Lanka were on offer to the visitors. “Sri Lanka was recently ranked in the Forbes list as one of the 23 best places to visit in 2023 and it’s crucial that we maintain our position and become one of the most popular destinations not just in South Asia but in Asia. I am delighted that Aitken Spence Travels (destination management segment of Aitken Spence) has played an instrumental role in growing the cruise tourism operation, which has evidently had a positive impact on other key industries such as hospitality, shipping, ports businesses to support the economy,” commented Stasshani Jayawardena, Executive Director Aitken Spence PLC, Head of the Tourism and Leisure Sector for the company. 

Further commenting on this significant contribution to Sri Lanka tourism’s arrival numbers, Aitken Spence Travels Managing Director Nalin Jayasundera stated, “We are delighted to be in the forefront of bringing in a large volume of tourists to Sri Lanka. As a leading DMC, we will continue to work directly in convincing cruise operators to dock in Sri Lanka to enjoy the natural beauty the country has to offer.

Needless to say, these are efforts that are seeing results today, due to the active role we played in building confidence of the destination whilst ensuring the shore excursion itineraries were attractive and unique. We are thankful for the support extended by all the stakeholders for a smooth operation and for our cruise guests to have a positive experience of Sri Lanka.”

One delighted visitor on an excursion exclaimed, “I did not know Sri Lanka was this beautiful. I was thrilled to see how my favourite spice, cinnamon, is made in Sri Lanka. I have always used cinnamon as a powdered product but didn’t know that it’s mainly a bark of a tree.”

Aitken Spence Travels enjoyed a tremendously successful 2023 cruise season, with over 10 cruise calls that have docked at all the ports of Colombo, Galle, Hambantota and Trincomalee.

Source: ASTL Team