HSBC Arranges $100mn Export Credit from Belgium to Etisalat to Expand Network with Equipment from Alcatel Lucent

0th April 2013, www.lankabusinessonline.com

HSBC said it had arranged a 100 million US dollar export credit from Belgium for Etisalat Sri Lanka to expand its network with equipment made by Alcatel-Lucent.

"The strong partnership with HSBC, ONDD and Alcatel-Lucent will now enable us to offer the best in technology and services to our customers."

He said Etisalat became the first operator to launch DC HSPA+ technology, to boost mobile broadband service in Sri Lanka.

The bank said it was the largest such deal so far in the country.

"Etisalat is a considerable force in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka, and we are pleased to have led this transaction to support their expansion plans..." Nick Nicolaou, chief executive officer HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives said.

HSBC was sole arranger, sole lender and facility agent for the facility from ONDD, the export credit agency of Belgium.

HSBC had also arranged an additional 25 million US dollar facility in parallel to the export credit.

"Etisalat strongly believes in the growth potential of Sri Lanka and we want to support the ongoing development by providing the latest in technology to the country," chief executive officer Dumindra Ratnayaka, said.

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Belgium Investors Want more Marinas in Sri Lanka

24th November 2010, www.dailynews.lk

The Belgian delegation who is currently in Sri Lanka for closer economic cooperation said that they were impressed by the way the Board of Investment’s response to their investment proposals.

“We came to Sri Lanka with an open mind and our intention was not to enter in to contracts immediately, but to explore the possible investment options.

The process will continue for a few more months and we are pleased with the progress made so far,” a potential Belgian investor said.

Belgium is looking at investing in the tourism industry that has tremendous potential and will be contributing positively for its development. “We are willing to be development partners,” he said.

This is the right moment as Sri Lanka is on a rapid development drive. With infrastructure development that is taking place in the country there is a need for marinas to provide related facilities.

Sri Lanka needs at least 10 marinas and this will benefit the country with its port development projects currently under way, he said. The investment, trade and tourism sector growth will provide strong effect that the country will have added advantage.

“The political stability and the conducive environment are plus factor for Sri Lanka and we are taking stock of what we have to do in the near future,” a delegate said.

A Belgian trade and investment delegation consisting of 40 companies in the fields of agro-food, machinery, construction, interior, energy, fisheries and gems.

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Belgium Trade & Investment Delegation in Sri Lanka for Belgium Week 2010

Belgium Trade & Investment Delegation in Sri Lanka for Belgium Week 2010

20th November 2010, www.island.lk

A trade and investment delegation from Belgium including some big companies in that country will be here for the Belgium Week 2010 beginning tomorrow and continuing till November 26. Belgian exports to Sri Lanka comprising mainly precious or semi precious stones (87.2%) together with pharmaceuticals, tobacco and manufactured substitutes, paper and paper board and plastics amounted to Euros 231.3 million last year.

Belgium imports comprised mainly precious or semi precious stones (60%) and apparel and clothing (20%) with rubber and rubber goods, tobacco and manufactured substitutes and automobiles being minor imports. During the visit here of the business delegation they will be meeting with ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development, G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, Rishard Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Deputy Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and other senior government officials.

They will also attend a briefing at the BOI and a specific seminar on construction, interior, infrastructure, harbour and marine development and tourism projects held in collaboration with the Chamber of Construction Industry.

The Sri Lanka export Development Board, the Benelux Business Council and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce are organizing match making opportunities between the Belgian delegation and various Sri Lankan companies.

The program has also opportunities for visits to Sri Lanka’s blue chip companies.

The delegation is here under the auspices of arrangements made jointly by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi and the Belgian Consulate in Colombo.

Although Belgium’s Minister of Enterprise and Streamlining Policy, Mr. Vincent Van Quickenborne, was due to lead the delegation, political developments in Belgium have prevented him from making this visit.

The delegation consists of 40 companies (over 50 persons) in the fields of agro-food, machinery, construction, interior, energy, fisheries, gems, information technology, infrastructure, water supply, financial services, textile, tobacco, tourism investments and various trading companies. Most of them are seeking to do business with Sri Lanka for the first time.

Projects of several Belgian companies in the health sector, infrastructure, water supply, water sanitation and waste disposal to the value in excess of 50 Million Euro have already received or are in the process to be approved by the Government of Sri Lanka and many more projects are waiting to be implemented, a press release issued in connection with the visit said.

Jetair Flies from Brussels to Colombo, One of the Safest Destinations in the World for Tourists

01st November 2010, www.dailynews.lk

The maiden direct flight from Brussels to Colombo departed from the Brussels International Airport on Saturday. “Sri Lanka is today one of the safest destinations in the world a tourist can expect to fly to, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU Ravinatha Aryasinha said. The Ambassador made this observation when he addressed passengers travelling to Sri Lanka on the maiden direct flight.

The Ambassador noted that tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka from Belgium had increased by 82.8 percent up to September this year, said this compared well with the 50 percent increase recorded from Europe, and the 44 percent recorded from around the world, in the same period.

Commending Jetairfly and Thomas Cook for being one of the first European collaborations to re-commence direct flights to Sri Lanka, he said it will be a huge boost to the marketing of the destination not only in Belgium, but also in the entire Benelux region (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) and would result in an exponential growth in tourists to Sri Lanka from these countries.

He urged visitors to Sri Lanka, on their return, share their experience with others, so that more will be encouraged to make the journey, which will strengthen the people-to-people bonds between Europe and Sri Lanka.

Image: Ambassador Aryasinha with Brussels Airport Director Jos Stroobants, Jetairfly Chairman Elie Bruynick and Thomas Cook Belgium Director Marc Van de Wal at the boarding gate to inaugurate the flight.

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Belgium's Jetairfly (TUI) Flies to Sri Lanks in Collaboration with a Hotel Chain

Belgium's Jetairfly (TUI) Flies to Sri Lanks in Collaboration with a Hotel Chain

25th July 2010, www.nation.lk, By Santhush Fernando

Belgium-based tour giant and one of Europe’s largest charter airlines - ‘Jetairfly’ partnering with the local hotel chain, is to commence flights to Colombo on October 30, 2010 and will lure more Western tourists during the upcoming winter season.

In terms of outbound travel, it is the biggest tour operator in Belgium and offers more than 50 tour destinations covering several continents. Jetairfly is part of world’s largest charter airline - Thomson Airways (Thomsonfly) which, in turn, is a subsidiary of TUI Travel PLC and has included Sri Lanka into its winter catalogue, promoting the island nation as its newest destination.

With the launch of ‘Jetairfly’, direct flight from Brussels to Colombo and Male from October 30, the airline expects to expand the tourist traffic in the coming winter season. ‘Jetairfly’ will fly to Sri Lanka every Saturday and is the only direct flight operating between Colombo and Brussels. It is also the newest addition to the flights which are coming to Sri Lanka from Europe.

‘It was way back in 2001 that we took the decision to re-introduce Sri Lanka to our tour catalogue and to have a direct flight from Brussels to Colombo,’ says the Communication Manager of Jetairfly, Hans Vanhaelemeesch.

‘The Pearl of the Indian Ocean remained one of our most valuable distant destinations in the past decade. The end of the conflict with the Tigers in May 2009 has given the island a new impetus, and prompted Jetairfly and Jetair to invigourate their programme of tours and beach holidays to Sri Lanka. For this winter, Jetairfly will propose direct flights to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

For the Belgian tourist, three tour packages, namely; Voyage ‘initiatique ideal’, ‘Beauté naturelle inégalée’ and ‘Sri Lanka Classique’ have been introduced.

CEO of Jetairfly NV, Bart Brackx, said,”despite the economic crisis, the Belgian travel market is expanding and as a tribute to avid Belgian traveller we are introducing Sri Lanka as our newest South Asian destination”.

In the first six months of 2010, over the corresponding period of the previous year, the tourist arrivals from Belgium have gone up by almost 60 percent, an official of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Brussels said.

Since March 2004, Jetairfly has flown to more than 70 airports in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Caribbean, and Africa. The airline’s home base is Brussels Airport, but flights also operate from the Liege Airport, Ostend-Bruges International Airport and Brussels South Charleroi Airport. The airline carries hundreds of thousands of passengers annually and is the second largest airline in Belgium.

Jetairfly is an airline with its headquarters in Ostend, Belgium and was formerly known as TUI Airlines Belgium. It the largest leisure fleet in Europe: together with seven other airlines which are linked together by the virtual alliance of TUI Airlines, which is part of the TUI Travel PLC Group, the largest tourism group in the world and a FTSE 100 international leisure travel group listed on the London Stock Exchange. TUI Airlines groups Jetairfly, Arkefly (Holland), Corsairfly (France), TUIfly (Germany), Thomson Airways (United Kingdom), TUIfly Nordic (Sweden) and Jet4you (Morocco) with a fleet of more than hundred aircraft.