SriLankan Airlines’ efforts to rebuild country’s tourism recognised at APEX awards
SriLankan Airlines’ intensive efforts to drive the recovery of the island’s tourism industry in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attack were honoured with a global accolade - the ‘Best Marketing Innovation’ award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).
The airline also managed to secure Four-Star rating in the major airlines category, for the third consecutive year, it said in a media release.
Vipula Gunatilleka, Group CEO, said: “We are delighted to win this prestigious award, which we consider to be an accolade for our country at a time when our tourism industry is recovering from a disastrous situation. Credit goes to the hundreds of members of our staff who volunteered for this innovative marketing campaign that reached an audience of millions of people in a large number of countries.”
SriLankan’s marketing effort was chosen the winner over entries by Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic that were also shortlisted nominees in this category. APEX (www.apex. aero) is the world’s only non-profit membership trade association, a network of the airline industry’s leading airlines, airline suppliers and related companies that is dedicated to improving the entire airline passenger experience.
The awards ceremony coincided with the APEX Expo annual industry convention at the Los Angeles Convention Centre September 9 to 12. Joshua Bustos, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, received the award on behalf of SriLankan at a glittering ceremony in Los Angeles.
The campaign, which centered on the Buddhist festival of Vesak to showcase the unity and spirit of tolerance among Sri Lanka’s many ethnic and religious communities, reached an audience of 7.6 million people with 1.2 million engagements via live streaming over YouTube and Facebook that specifically targeted major tourism markets worldwide.
It was based on the ‘karaniya metta sutra’ that emphasised the Buddha’s doctrine of boundless compassion to the world, and was carried out on Vesak, the holiest day in the calendar for Buddhists around the world.