Khiri Travel will launch a new company in Sri Lanka on 1 November 2014. The initiative is a joint venture between Khiri Travel and Sri Lanka-based DMC Luxe Asia. Following the contract signing on 29 August, Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will be a part of the Galle Face Hotel Management Group.
Luxe Asia is owned by Galle Face Hotel Management Group, a leading investment group, which owns and operates the iconic Galle Face Hotel in Colombo (1865), Ceylon Hotels Corporation, Kandy Hotels, Queens Hotel and Suisse Hotel. It has a diverse collection of over 20 properties throughout Sri Lanka.
Khiri Travel will operate under the guidance of Luxe Asia Managing Director, Chaminda Dias, while Ruben Derksen, previously General Manager of Khiri Travel Laos, will become General Manager of Khiri Travel Sri Lanka.
The joint venture is in line with Khiri Travel's mission to become the leading brand in quality tourism in Asia and the champion of the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit. Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will also include the Maldives, allowing for high quality beach extensions following tours in Sri Lanka.
"Luxe Asia shares the same values as Khiri Travel," said Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Travel Group. "A fantastic new selection of signature Sri Lanka experiences will feature the diversity and richness of Sri Lanka's wonderful landscapes, ancient temples, colonial heritage buildings, nature safaris, and culinary discoveries. Sri Lanka has amazing variety for such a relatively small country."
Niemeijer said Khiri Travel Sri Lanka guests can expect trips to tea plantations, wildlife viewing, trips on remote lakes and rivers, charming boutique hotels and encounters with different groups in an ethnically diverse country.
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Willem Niemeijer (left), Founder & CEO, Khiri Group, Lakshman Samarasinghe - Chairman, Galle Face Hotel Group
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Sanjeev Gardiner, Chairman, Galle Face Hotel Group/Luxe Asia, said: "With Khiri Travel's presence and excellent customer service and our unparalleled knowledge of the Sri Lankan inbound market, I am convinced Khiri Travel Sri Lanka will become the market leader in the luxury tourism segment in a relatively short period of time."
Both parties were keen to emphasize the importance of top-level personalized service, which will define the new partnership.
The Sri Lanka move is the latest in the strategic expansion of Khiri Travel. The company opened Khiri Travel Indonesia in March 2014.
With the addition of Sri Lanka, Khiri Travel now has 15 offices in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, as well as a sales office in the USA.
Photo caption on the top:Sanjeev Gardiner (left), Group Chairman, Galle Face Hotel Group and Willem Niemeijer
