Sri Lanka to take steps to improve indoor air quality

Colombo, Feb 21 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s Central Environmental Authority will formulate a set of guidelines to improve indoor air quality in an effort to minimize health impacts caused by air pollutants, local media reported Thursday.

The Cabinet of Ministers last week approved a three year pilot project from 2019 to 2021 to conduct a base study and set guidelines to improve indoor air quality in schools, hospitals, public buildings, office buildings and houses covering the entire country, Central Environmental Authority Laboratory Services Deputy Director, Hiranthi Jansz said.

Jansz said household wood-burning stoves, use of incense sticks, poorly maintained office air-conditioned environments and vehicle emissions were frequent instances of indoor air pollution.

She pointed out that the World Health Organization had recommended preparing guidelines for indoor air quality.

“Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a growing concern. Most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. The quality of indoor air is important not only for occupants’ comfort but also for their health,” the ITI Environmental Technology said in a statement.

“Poor indoor air quality has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble in concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Also, some specific diseases have been linked to specific air contaminants or indoor environments, like asthma with damp indoor environments,” the ITI added.

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Harnessing the real potential of tourism industry

After much drama, a new head has been installed at the country’s tourism establishment. Corporate leader Kishu Gomes on Monday assumed duties as Chairman of both the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB). 

During a press conference last Friday, Gomes promised bringing in at least three million tourists to Sri Lanka this year. The country achieved 2.3 million tourists in 2018, about 200,000 short of the target, which was originally set. 

Although Sri Lanka has achieved considerable growth in the tourism industry, in terms of tourist arrivals and earnings in the post-war period, it has been far from the country’s true potential, which was recently named the best destination to travel in 2019 by the world-renowned travel guidebook brand Lonely Planet.

Gomes is a proven business leader in Sri Lanka’s thriving private sector and has over three decades of experience at top management positions. He is probably one of the youngest Sri Lankans to ever head the local operations of a multinational company. The added advantage is that he has a strong marketing background. 

Last week, he proudly told the media that his DNA is marketing and brand communication. The experience and strategies of Gomes as a marketer could become invaluable for the long-delayed global marketing campaign of Sri Lanka tourism. The Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Ministry last week said they would soon present a detailed plan of the said campaign to the Cabinet, after incorporating the views of Gomes.

The soft launch of the campaign is scheduled to take place at the world’s largest tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin, this March. The three-year campaign, which received the SLTPB board approval recently, will focus on promoting Sri Lanka tourism in eight key source markets, with an estimated budget of Rs.3.0 billion.

Sri Lanka has been feeling the need for a proper destination marketing campaign for a while. But the initiatives taken towards it at various times under several tourism ministers were impeded by the country’s toxic politics and procurement scandals.

This probably is the best juncture in Sri Lanka Tourism’s history to launch a massive promotional campaign as the country’s governance structure remains relatively strong and the civil society’s ability to influence the politics is high. 

However, it is vital to come to a consensus on how to position Sri Lanka as a tourism destination before embarking on a major marketing push. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on several occasions had said given Sri Lanka’s limited carrying capacity, the country should look at attracting high-end tourists, who spend a considerable amount of money during their stays. 

However, given the rising number of informal accommodation providers, it is clear that Sri Lanka is becoming more of a backpackers’ paradise than a sojourn for high-spending tourists. It is believed that Sri Lanka’s vibrant informal tourism sector played a major role in the country being selected as the best place to travel in 2019 by Lonely Planet. 

Hence, the tourism authorities and the industry should reach a consensus as soon as possible on where to position Sri Lanka as a tourism destination, to give a clear message out to the prospective tourists. Every country that recognizes tourism as a major contributor to its economy must have a tourism identity and Sri Lanka shouldn’t be an exception, despite its diverse tourism product offering. 

It is essential that Sri Lanka creates itself a fine balance between high-spending tourists and backpackers and all the country’s promotional and marketing campaigns should revolve around this notion.

Meanwhile, a proposal has been pushed forward by a group of hospitality sector stakeholders urging the authorities to consider giving the country’s tourism industry the export industry status. Even at the height of the separatist war, the tourism industry was able to attract tourists to the country and earn the much-needed foreign exchange to the economy. 

When the tsunami wrecked havoc in the southern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka, the industry was able to rise from wreckage within a very short time, showing its resilience. Hence, the government should seriously look at including tourism into its export strategy and provide the necessary concession, similar to the other export industries.

Also, the suggestion to establish tourism trade zones, similar to that of export processing zones, could also be a very innovative approach to develop some of the underdeveloped tourism hot spots in the eastern and northern parts of the island.

All in all, what is needed as far as the country’s tourism sector is concerned, is a new approach—be it promoting the country through a global marketing campaign or providing the industry with the much-needed impetus by recognizing their efforts throughout the years. 

One thing we should always keep in mind as Sri Lankans is that worker remittances still remain the highest foreign exchange earner, despite the country having such potential for tourism. Isn’t this anything short of a national embarrassment? 

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Sri Lanka ranked among top 5 fastest tourism growing markets by GlobalData

COLOMBO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has been ranked as the fourth fastest growing tourism market in the world by GlobalData, a London-based digital analysis company, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said in a statement Monday. 

GlobalData's Tourism Potential Index provides a ranking of 60 major developed and emerging markets around the world to assess potential growth opportunities in the tourism sector. 

Iceland, Japan, Hungary, Sri Lanka and Chile have been listed as the top five fastest growing tourism markets in the world for the period between 2017 and 2021, the GlobalData index showed. 

The list is compiled using a ranking based on forecast average annual growth in international arrivals, and the forecasts are based on factors such as capital investment, GDP and disposable income in main source markets. 

Sri Lanka, which came the fourth on the list, has obtained a score of 52.8 while achieving a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.7 percent. 

The score of Iceland, which topped the list, stands at 39.1 with a CAGR of 11.7 percent.

GlobalData has also assigned star ratings to each of the 60 nations surveyed, ranking them in terms of tourism potential from very low to very high. 

The star rating is based on four elements of potential: significance, competitiveness, attractiveness and convenience to give an overall percentage score out of 100. 

No country achieved a five-star rating this year, an accolade awarded to Singapore and Switzerland last year, which were both said to have "very high potential" with few barriers to expansion or demand. 

Sri Lanka is the only four-star rated country in the top 10. 

GlobalData says Sri Lanka is "expected to experience fast growth in the future".

It also said Sri Lanka is "investment-friendly and has improved its road and air infrastructure significantly". 

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Sri Lanka is going all out to woo Indian tourists

Sri Lanka has seen a record number of Indian tourists visit the island nation. Last year, it clocked in 3.84 lakh Indian travellers. This year, they are looking to lure even more visitors. This is what tourists can expect.

Sri Lanka is expecting a healthy growth in the number of Indian tourists arrivals this year, as the island nation is out to woo travellers even from smaller cities. Sri Lanka has seen a substantial growth in tourist arrivals from India last year, with over 3.84 lakh travellers. Currently, India is the number one country in terms of tourist arrivals, followed by China, UK and Germany. Some of the most popular destinations in Sri Lanka include Kandy, Colombo and Bentota.

“However, this year we are targeting 4.50 lakh tourists from India,” said Viranga Bandara, Assistant Director-Marketing, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. “We mainly get tourists from the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai... those are the main tourism-generating hubs for Sri Lanka tourism. But we are also targeting smaller cities,” he said.

Upekkha Samaratunga, Minister (Commercial), Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi, said that according to Sri Lanka tourism statistics, India ranks number one in terms of inward traffic to the island nation. “We look forward to travellers from India throughout the year, irrespective of the season. Most Indians like to travel short distances on a competitive budget. In that scenario, Sri Lanka has become popular. However, we are also targeting the high-end tourists from various parts of India, including Chandigarh and neighbouring towns like Ludhiana,” said Samaratunga.

About Sri Lankan food, she said that there is a lot of similarity in their cuisine and what is found in parts of south India. “We use a lot of coconut in our preparations, like it is used in south India. Sri Lankan cinnamon, pepper and other products are also quite popular among Indians. Through tourism, we can expand our trade relations, as India is our key trading partner,” she further said.

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Survey finds Indian, Western tourists in Sri Lanka satisfied with hotel stays

ECONOMYNEXT- Most Indian and Western tourists visiting Sri Lanka are satisfied with their stays in hotels, according to the latest airport survey done by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

Of the over 1,000 tourists who answered questions in the survey, 63 percent had stayed in hotels. Another 16 percent stayed in guest houses, and 8 percent stayed in boutique hotels.

The highest number of respondents in the survey were from India, Germany, UK, Australia and Russia, aged between 20-29 and were male.

Around 60 percent of the tourists thought that the quality of rooms in Sri Lanka were excellent or very good, and only 9 percent of them had rated the rooms poor.

Fifty-six percent of the tourists rated the quality of food highly, while 11 percent thought the opposite. There was a nearly identical split in opinion over the quality of service.

The survey was done through two touch screens at self-service kiosks at the Katunayake Airport. (COLOMBO, July 12, 2018)

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Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals grow 15.3 pct up to June

COLOMBO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has recorded a growth of 15.3 percent in tourist arrivals during the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year, statistics from the Tourism Ministry showed here Wednesday. 

From January to June, 1,164,647 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka compared to the 1,010,444 tourists who visited the country during the same period last year. 

In June, 146,828 tourists arrived in the island country, 19 percent increase from the arrivals recorded in June 2017. 

India remained the largest market for Sri Lanka in June, followed by China and Britain.

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told Xinhua that tourism was one of the highest growing sectors in the island. 

"We can reach our target this year. We need to expand the capacity of our airports. Currently, 98 percent of tourists arrive by air," he said. 

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Hotel show Colombo 2018: Celebrating its 20th edition

The 20th edition of the Hotel Show Colombo 2018 – organized by the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA) together with event partner CDC Events, returns from 20th – 22nd July 2018 to the BMICH. It will be supported by both the Government and private sector related establishments. 

For the first time in Sri Lanka, Hotel Show introduces a new easy do-it-yourself Admission Badge. It will give you quick and easy access to hundreds of innovative exhibition stalls as well as exciting live competitions. With just one month to go, avail yourself of this great opportunity. 

The mega event attracts products and services representing thousands of brands from all over the globe while many visitors and buyers from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, India and other South Asian countries will be present. It also provides hotels the opportunity to showcase the talents of their staff in various competitions under the purview of international judges. 

The forthcoming gala event promises to be an unforgettable occasion for the hospitality industry.

Plans are in place to make this 20th edition show truly exceptional, with leading industry personalities and talented chefs set to take to the live stage once again. It’s guaranteed to be packed full of inspiration and new ideas. All this exciting action in the competition theatre is not to be missed; where passionate professionals will be putting their skills to the test across the three days. It includes exciting events such as the National Barista Championship, National Tabletop Cooking, National Room Stylist Competition, Culinary Master Class, Ceylon Tea Masters Cup and Colombo Food Fest which will be held concurrently. 

This year at the Colombo Food Fest, more leading hotels will be showcasing their culinary expertise, catering to the taste buds of all food lovers. 

Mr. Trevine Gomez, Chairman of the Organizing Committee said, “The Hotel Show Colombo has really stepped up another gear this year and we’re looking forward to once again cater to the industry’s needs and highlight its talent. Visitors will have plenty to feast their eyes on with a whole host of new exhibitors and action-packed competitions. Each year we aim to bring to bear the latest trends in the industry to ensure decision makers of all businesses involved in food and drink are well equipped to attract customers. This year’s show will be no exception, making it a must-attend event.”

Samantha Gunarathne, Chairman CHSGA stated, “Over the past years The Hotel Show Colombo has established itself as a major force in the hospitality industry, it’s the ultimate diary date for anyone in the sector. The inclusion of the hotel industry exhibition broadens the event’s appeal and means there really is something for everyone. This is the place to find inspiration, learn about the latest trends, source products and suppliers or simply network with friends and colleagues.” 

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