Skymark Travels turns five
Travel and tourism have become big business in Sri Lanka today, giving rise to increasing competition and innovation. Amid the stormy seas of a free market economy, Skymark Travels has managed to stay afloat, accepting the negatives and transforming them into positives and boasts of a successful five years in the business.
Skymark T r ave l s Managing Partner Rimzi Nazeer shared with Mirror Business, the trials and travails of bringing his company up to what it is today.
“It was a very challenging one. There were more downs than ups in the first couple of years, but I never gave up. I told myself that I was going to take up the challenge and make the negative part a positive thing,” Nazeer said.
Established in 2008, Skymark Travels’ main focus then was providing outbound tours. Over the years, Skymark moved into inbound tours and today is a fully serviced travel agency that handles everything from airline tickets, booking accommodation to travel tours.
Elaborating on the company’s growth over the past three years, he explained: “We have grown by 30 - 40 per cent. That’s a huge leap, as now people know us – they speak of Skymark Travels. We had created a good rapport with the embassies and airlines, since our inception and are now known to the top corporates too. We provide after hours services as well.”
60 per cent of Skymarks Travels’ clientele was made up of top companies while the rest consisted of individuals, walk-ins and families. The overseas market ( inbound ) consisted of around 40 – 50 percent from the Middle East, 20 -30 percent from the Far East and the balance from Europe. “We mostly concentrate on the Middle Eastern component, especially Oman and Dubai,” Nazeer said.
Tourists from the Middle Eastern sector were expected to gradually increase to 60 percent over the next couple of months as most Omani and Dubai nationals visited Sri Lanka to see the lusher, greener parts of the island.“There is very little interest in beaches. Most tourists want their drives to various cities to be through greenery. This is a good concept to sell Sri Lanka” he enthused.Nazeer firmly believes in providing a good service to tourists, which was their key to suc- cess. In comparison to other travel companies, he said “I think Skymark is the best. However, I don’t really compare my business to other travel companies because at the end of the day what we provide to our clients is a service. We are definitely price conscious, but our priority is service.”
With experience of over 25 years in the travel trade, Nazeer revealed it had been his dream to start his own travel company some day. Headded“Travelrunsinmy blood now - there is nothing I wish to do beyond travel. My passion is meeting people, identifying their problems and sorting out those problems.”
Starting off with only three employees, Skymark has now grown, with a team of eleven dedicated members of the staff who have immensely helped in making the company a success. It is also an approved IATA Travel Agency.
The company was currently targeting holidaymakers looking for full packages including accommodation, etc. Speaking of future plans, Nazeer said he wanted to help increase the GDP by gaining more inbound tourists and promoting Sri Lanka. “We can offer a lot, but 5* Hotels in Colombo are more expensive than outstation locations, so it’s better to market areas outside Colombo. Middle Eastern nationals in particular prefer to visit Sri Lanka than the US due to terrorist issues,” he noted.