Khiri Travel Sri Lanka becomes new DMC
View(s):The Galle Face Hotel Management Group announced this week that it will partner with Luxe Asia and Khiri Travel to create the latest destination management company in Sri Lanka.
The joint venture named Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will be a member of the Galle Face Hotel Management group which owns and operates the Galle Face Hotel, Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) and Kandy Hotels (Queen’s Hotel and Hotel Suisse), a media release issued by the management stated.
Commenting on this partnership, Chairman Galle Face Hotel Group/Luxe Asia Sanjeev Gardiner noted, “With the Khiri Group’s presence and excellent customer service and our unparalleled knowledge of the Sri Lankan inbound tourism market, I am convinced that Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will become the market leader in the luxury tourism segment in a relatively short period of time. The refurbishment of our CHC properties and the Galle Face Hotel in particular will complement the needs of Khiri Travel Sri Lanka.”
Luxe Asia is a regional destination management company (DMC) handling inbound tourists from globally generating markets into Sri Lanka, it was stated.
The Khiri Travel Group is a regional leader in the sustainable hospitality and travel business. Founded in Bangkok in 1993 by CEO Willem Niemeijer, Khiri has DMC offices in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia and has a proven track record of success in all of these countries and are confident of replicating this success in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Niemeijer, who was in the island for the launch, said “There are clear cultural and historical ties between Sri Lanka and many of the other Khiri destinations in Southeast Asia. The rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka, its varied and beautiful scenery, many nature-based responsible travel options, and the amazing Maldives, all make Khiri Travel Sri Lanka a very exciting proposition. Khiri Travel is about offering authentic travel experiences in a responsible, sustainable way for all stakeholders.
Backed by the illustrious expertise of the Galle Face Hotel group, a particular emphasis of Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will be the development of the luxury travel segment to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and leveraging on the strength of the Khiri Group in markets such as the USA, Netherlands, Germany and the UK, the media release said.
Both the global and local parties involved in the partnership were keen to emphasise the importance of top level personalised service, which they feel will drive the new venture. “We have employed agents who have both experience and fluency in handling this segment of tourism. They have a better idea than anyone else of what our clients will expect from a trip to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and our aim is to make this trip as memorable and hassle free as possible,” concluded Chaminda Dias, Managing Director of Luxe Asia.