Galle Face Hotel Management Group, Luxe Asia, Khiri Travel to create Khiri Travel Sri Lanka

Monday, 1 September 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Galle Face Hotel Management Group has announced 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). The official announcement of the partnership was made at a press conference held at the newly opened Galle Face Hotel meeting and conference facility.

Commenting on this historic 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 in to Sri Lanka. Established in August 2009, Luxe Asia is one of the leading companies in the inbound travel market in Sri Lanka. The intimate local market knowledge and commitment to world class services which is the ethos of Luxe Asia will be complimented by the global standing of the Khiri Group within the travel industry. 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. Meanwhile Khiri Travel Founder CEO Willem Niemeijer who is 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. 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 Luxe Asia Managing Director Chaminda Dias.