SriLankan Airlines positions Sri Lanka as an international golf destination

By Dulan Hettiarachchi

The SriLankan Airlines Asia Pacific Senior Masters Championship climaxed last week at the stunning Victoria Golf and Country Resort in Kandy with the Pro Championship.

A total of 53 senior professional golfers and from across the globe were flown to Sri Lanka to participate in the country’s first top-level golf championship tour organised by SriLankan Airlines.

With Sri Lanka targeting 2.5 million tourists by 2016, the airline is aiming at supporting the Government’s tourism drive by attracting more up-market visitors who are keen to sample niche sports events while enjoying a holiday.

“Professional tournaments such as this will help promote Sri Lanka as a world class destination for golf and give their accompanying families a chance to experience and explore this island. This is our way of taking Sri Lanka to the world,” said Kapila Chandrasena, CEO SriLankan Airlines.

The tournament attracted professional golfers and Mike Harwood, the former USA PGA Tour card holder and Thailand’s Jamnian Chitprasong, who won the recent Asia Pacific Champion tour, were the big draw cards

Golfers from the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Africa, the Philippines, Switzerland, Malaysia and the UK participated in the event.

“With the support of SriLankan Airlines we know golf professionals will enjoy the event and the chance to see Sri Lanka,” said Mike Varney, CEO of International Golf Solutions the organiser of the tournament, in the run-up to the event.

The programme began with a practice day on 15 February, followed by a Pro Am on 16 February, which gave Sri Lanka’s amateur golfers a chance to play with the Asia Pacific Tour Professionals. A total of 30 golfers from Sri Lanka participated in this championship, which was followed by two days of stroke play for the SriLankan Airlines Asia Pacific Senior Golf Masters Championship Trophy.

Events like golf, the International Rugby Sevens and pro-surfing play a key role in promoting Sri Lanka as a destination beyond beaches, heritage sites and wildlife.

Winners walk away with some great prizes, including a five-night golf holiday in Bangkok.

“The standard of the tour is very high, our past two winners have won with 36 hole scores of -7 and -12,” added Varney.

Quiet-spoken Chitprasong, a member of the USPGA’s senior tour, was in great form having led well in the last round of the European Senior PGA tournament in Brunei recently, said Varney.

 Chitprasong said he was “excited” to tee-off in Sri Lanka.

“So many people have said the island is a wonderful tourism destination and has some great golf courses,” Chitprasong said.

All pro golfers were in Sri Lanka for the first time and were stunned by the quality of the golf course and the hospitality of the country, said Steve Hamilton from Scotland, who said he would definitely return with friends and family to play golf in Sri Lanka.

The visitors were also pleasantly surprised with the convenience of the SriLankan Air Taxi, which provided transfers to the golf course and an opportunity to admire the beauty of Sri Lanka in addition to an unforgettable flying experience.

SriLankan Airlines flies to 60 cities in 33 countries covering South Asia, South East Asia, the Far East, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Canada.