Addressing the white elephant in Lankan economic development in tourism

In the past, Sri Lanka has focused on increasing the number of tourists coming into the country and showcased the

 increase in tourism without much concentration on the growth of our economy in retrospect. Lonely Planet listed Sri Lanka as the number one tourist destination for 2019 whilst Sri Lanka simultaneously boasted of 2.2 million tourists at the closure of 2018. None of these however focus on the economic growth brought in. To put it simply, there wasn’t much of economic prosperity as a majority of these tourists coming in were backpackers with a weekly spending budget of less than $ 500. The question however lies in why doesn’t Sri Lanka attract tourists with a higher spending power? 

A closer look at the issue

Upon closer inspection and analysis, it was concluded that Sri Lanka does not attract tourists with higher spending power who are willing to spend more than $ 300 per day. This is largely due to our country lacking the proper infrastructure to support this level of tourism and the free availability of ‘affordable’ resources as opposed to having more high-end facilities in the country.

Let’s take a step back and analyse this situation through the eye of a potential tourist. There are currently limited direct flights connecting large countries to Sri Lanka. Any potential visitor must predominantly select between Etihad, Qatar Airways or Emirates when flying to Sri Lanka from North America and Europe, resulting in sometimes lengthy transits before arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport. After a long flight, guests are then succumbed into a six-hour drive should they wish to visit the north of the country or another six-hour drive should they wish to visit the south. The lack of better roadways and alternate methods of travel in Sri Lanka leaves guests only the option of travelling on sub-par roads, adding exhaustion to a tiring journey.

Limited qualifying luxury villas and 5-star accommodations in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka can currently accommodate guests in up to 4,200 five-star hotel rooms with a total staff count of 250,000 to serve these tourists, out of which only 250 rooms belong to luxury boutique villas and hotels that cater to clients on the higher spectrum of spending power.

Room rates in the Cultural Triangle, North, South and Central regions offer half-board accommodation at a rate of $ 90 (Rs. 16,167) per double room. Once taxes are deducted, the hotel is left with Rs. 12,442 from which once Rs. 3,200 is reduced for two breakfast and dinner meals, the hotel is ultimately left with only Rs. 9,242, which doesn’t provide much of a profit margin for a hotel and the industry to sustain profitably, much less allow the hotel to provide a great customer experience through constant innovation.

Looking ahead and getting proper infrastructure in place

To attract tourists with a higher purchasing power, Sri Lanka must not only grow in number of luxury hotels and villas, but also take an initiative to develop our infrastructure. For a tourist to visit the country, they must at times spend lengthy transit hours since we do not have a direct air carrier who flies directly from America and Europe to Sri Lanka. The many hours spent on transit coupled with the many hours spent travelling to various locations around the country from the airport isn’t attractive for potential tourists. 

Even though Sri Lanka’s road infrastructure is yet to reach groundbreaking heights, the Government has taken the right initiative through the Megapolis Ministry that aims on developing roads, railways and the landscape of the city by 2030 with a marina, a cruise centre, a waterfront promenade and housing for an estimate of two million people. 

In addition to roads, railways and the development of the megapolis, Sri Lanka must also look at alternative methods of domestic travel. Currently there are only a few providers offering domestic aircraft carriers, with two of them being large conglomerates in the country. However, these aircraft carriers can only accommodate eight passengers per flight and come at a very high cost making this an unattractive mode of domestic transport, despite the savings in time. 

For tourists looking to visit Sri Lanka and spend a vacation here in luxury, either basking in the misty hills or travelling in the north getting to know about part of our heritage or even enjoy the Southern sea, Sri Lanka’s level of infrastructure and support facilities aren’t attractive enough. Having to travel for six hours to reach the north or south after a tiring plane ride or having to charter an expensive domestic flight with limited travel availability due to their limited flying hours simply isn’t attractive enough to bring in tourists with higher spending power. To bring about economic growth through targeted tourism, it’s time Sri Lanka began developing our urban cities, infrastructure and value added services to attract the right clientele. 

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Sri Lanka will grant free visas to tourists

Sri Lanka will grant free visas to tourists from key markets like the United Kingdom, Europe and Asian Buddhist countries like Thailand for six months from 1 April 2019 to encourage visits during months when arrivals usually slump.

The government information office said in a statement the Cabinet of Ministers had approved the proposal by John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wild Life and Christian Religious Affairs this week.

Free visas will be given to tourists from Thailand, United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Canada, United States of America, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and countries of the European Union, it said.

The move aims to encourage visits during key Buddhist festivals like Vesak and Poson during this period.

(COLOMBO, February 27, 2019-SB)

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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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150 Sri Lankans get Mahatma Gandhi scholarship

Colombo, February 21 (AIR): In Sri Lanka, 150 students from all 25 districts were awardedthe prestigious Mahatma Gandhi scholarships for study in India.

Sri Lankan education minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu gave the scholarships at a special ceremony held in Colombo on Wednesday.

This is the twelfth year in continuation that India has provided Mahatma Gandhi scholarships to bright students across Sri Lanka.

The minister appreciated the assistance provided by India including for the new trilingual school in Polonnaruwa and Saraswathy College in Kandy.

He also thanked India for providing training to teachers in Sri Lanka. High commissioner of India said that it was special occasion where 150 Sri Lankan students were awarded the Mahatma Gandhi scholarships while the world is celebrating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He urged the students in Sri Lanka to connect with the youth of India and told them to take advantage of scientific and educational developments in India.

The high commissioner noted that India has recently launched a new Portal titled “Study in India” and more than 25000 seats are earmarked in Indian Institutions for foreign students.

He expressed hope that Sri Lankan youth would make full use of the opportunities in India.

(The featured image at the top is that of Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu addressing the scholarship holders)

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Sri Lanka to identify tourism development zones to boost arrivals

Colombo, Feb 21 (newsin.asia) – The Sri Lankan government will identify tourism development zones throughout the island which will concentrate on tourism related activities, a statement from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said here Thursday.

The SLTDA embarked on a mutual partnership with the the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to identify the zones which will be set up to avoid ad-hoc tourism development and to avoid undesirable activities.

The zones are likely to be set up in places such as the central highlands of Ella and Nuwara Eliya and Arugam Bay, Kalpitiya, Beruwala, Hikkaduwa and Pinnawala. These areas are popular tourist areas.

“Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the fast-emerging tourist destinations in the South Asian Region. The island’s biodiversity, long lasted culture, historic monuments, exotic beaches, and evergreen environment can be identified as the key attractions for international tourists,” the SLTDA said in the statement.

“However, with the increased tourist arrivals various tourism related or associated activities are mushrooming in around popular tourist destinations. Most of these activities are developed in an irresponsible manner in the absence of proper development guidelines in existing and emerging tourism hubs,” the SLTDA added.

Such developments put invaluable cultural and natural assets at severe risk of degradation. At the same time, there are other locations, of which the potentials have yet to be properly explored for the development of tourism-related activities, the SLTDA further said.

Since the end of the island’s 30 year civil conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels, which ended in May 2009, Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the leading travel destinations in the world.

Last year, Sri Lanka received 2.3 million tourists while this year it is aiming to welcome 3 million tourists.

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Sri Lanka the cynosure at Thai Travel Fair

The 2019 edition of the Thai International Travel Fair was held in Bangkok, Thailand last week. The inauguration was held at the Bangkok Convention Center at Central World Bangkok followed by a gala dinner at Centara Grand. The event was attended by over 500 tourism stakeholders from around the world including Sri Lanka.

The Chief Guest at the inauguration was the Tourism Minister of Thailand while the Guest of Honour was the Tourism Minister of Sri Lanka, John Amaratunga who received an enthusiastic welcome from the capacity crowd that was present.

Later on Minister Amaratunga declared opened the Sri Lanka Booth, which was the cynosure at the travel fair. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau made use of the opportunity to launch a promotional microsite highlighting the Buddhist trail in Sri Lanka. The microsite consists of the main Buddhist tourism attractions in the country, meditation centres and facilities available to learn Buddhism in Sri Lanka. 

The microsite was launched by Minister Amaratunga along with Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Thailand, Kshenuka Seneviratne, President of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Thanaphon Cheewarattanaporn and Chairman, Tourism Advisory Committee, Harry Jayawardena.

Meanwhile Minister Amaratunga and the Sri Lankan delegation met President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Vichat Prakobgosol on the sidelines of the Travel Fair.

The two parties discussed ways and means of increasing the number of arrivals to Sri Lanka from Thailand. Thai travel agents emphasised that relaxation of visa requirements will help increase arrivals. The Thai travel agents pointed out that outbound traffic from Thailand to Japan increased by over one million when Japan granted visa on arrival to Thai nationals.

Launch of Buddhist Trail micro website

Minister John Amaratunga speaking at the launch of Buddhist trail

Launch of the Sri Lanka booth

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Tourism industry grows by 2.2% in January

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka shows that tourism earnings have increased by 2.2% in January 2019.

The data reveals the country earned nearly USD 458.4mn in January this year, compared to USD 448.5mn during January last year(2018).

Sri Lanka welcomed nearly 244,239 tourists in January 2019, indicating an increase of 2.2% from last year’s 238,924.

In 2019, the Sri Lankan tourism industry expects to attract more than 3 mn foreign tourists as Sri Lanka is ranked number 1 destination to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet.

To achieve above-mentioned target Sri Lanka needs a growth rate of 28.5% on average. However, the current growth rate is at 2.2%.

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Kishu Gomes appointed Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority

Kishu Gomes will be officially appointed as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau today, Tourism Development Ministry said.

Accordingly, Minister John Amaratunga is to present the letter of appointment to him this afternoon.

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sl Tourism to streamline promotion activities

Sri Lanka Tourism has kick started their promotional campaign for 2019 and around 15% of the budget has already been exhausted so far, said Director, Marketing at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Madubhani Perera. The total budget for 2019 is around Rs. 6 billion.

She said that most of the promotion budget was invested to participate in international fairs in 2019. Perera said that last year the sum allocated for tourism Promotion was around Rs. 5 billion but only around 75% of it was used.

Meanwhile Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Affairs, John Amaratunga said that a proposal has been made to the cabinet to offer Visa on Arrival to tourists from Thailand.

“I am returning from an event in Thailand and their tourists are keen to visit Sri Lanka. Thai nationals are offered free visa on arrival to travel within the ASIAN region. I proposed to the cabinet to offer similar facility for them when visiting Sri Lanka.”

The Minister said that though they were targeting 3 million arrivals for 2019, if there were no political issues in Sri Lanka, this target can reach up to 3.1 million. He said that already there is a 2.2% arrival growth in January as against the previous year. 

Speaking at an event jointly organized by Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators and Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) the Minister said that this year Sri Lanka will play host to many MICE events and the biggest would be the United Nations event in March where over 3,000 delegates would participate.

He however said that successive governments have not taken serious measures to increase capacity at the Colombo airport and this has put a check on many new budget airlines that want to fly to Sri Lanka.

“There is a huge congestion at the immigration counters and steps should be taken to offer one separate lane for Sri Lankans which would speed up matters at Customs,” he said.

The Minister also said that two former Vice Presidents of Sri Lankan Tourism Promotions Bauru, Nilmin Nanayakkara and Mervyn Fernandopulle were exonerated of all charges and this proves that the judiciary is impartial.

“Both of them did not make any decisions or even take any favors while serving in the SLTBP. They merely placed their signatures on Board decisions.”

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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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Bosnia calls for greater cooperation in tourism with Sri Lanka

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Herzegovina is firmly placing itself on the map in global tourism markets, leaving behind its conflict-ridden past. The country, which maintains high standards in health and education fields, is projected to have the third highest tourism growth rate in the world and is considered one of the fastest growing economies in the region. With longstanding relations with Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador Dr. Sabit Subasic during a recent visit to Sri Lanka speaking to Daily FT called for improved trade relations focusing on tourism, sharing of resources and knowledge for promotion and exchanges between the two countries. Following are excerpts: 

According to World Tourism Organization, Bosnia is one of the fast-growing destinations in the world. We are third fastest growing tourism destination in the world. I know that tourism in Sri Lanka is booming and it should be improving much more. I think we should have more cooperation in the area of tourism cooperation, more exchange of ideas. Sri Lanka needs more facilities and infrastructure for tourism, so I think it would be better to establish more cooperation in that area to improve tourism promotion in both countries. Apart from that we have to improve tourism exchange to increase the number of Bosnian tourists visiting Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans visiting Bosnia. We have established links with the Sri Lankan tourism industry and in Bosnia we are working towards this and we will see what we can do 

I would like to have more cooperation with the two ministries of the two countries. To create the capacity of the two countries, we have huge potential. We are in discussion with dignitaries with the Sri Lanka tourism industry and I suggested exchanges of officials to explore new ideas between the two countries 

I would love to have more cooperation in the area of education, in terms of student exchanges – that is an excellent instrument for improving bilateral relations; students are excellent ambassadors for countries

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Sri Lanka mulls cutting excessive airport fees to boost tourism

Sri Lanka Tourism

Sri Lanka is reviewing how to reduce airport fees to make the country more competitive with the rest of Asia and make the country more attractive to tourists Sri Lanka's tourism minister said.

"A review is being done as to how best we could reduce the landing charges, fueling charges and airport taxes," Amaratunga said. 

He admitted that excessive airport fees are being passed on to airline ticket prices to Sri Lanka, making the country less attractive for potential tourists. 

Sri Lanka has a state monopoly supplying fuel at the airport and there is no competition. When fuel supply is competitive if there are procurement irregularities and the petroleum firm pays high prices to buy fuel, it will lose out to competition. 

While many East Asian airports are also state-run, their fees are lower.

For example in a Colombo-Kuala Lumpur Colombo ticket sold by Malaysian Airlines for 34,656 rupees, the Colombo Malaysia leg is 19,918 rupees and the KL Sri Lanka leg is 14,738 rupees.

Airport embarkation fees and taxes in Malaysia is 2,874 rupees and in Sri Lanka 8,094 rupees. Airport taxes are 40 percent of the ticket price in Colombo. 

On Malindo Air, in a ticket priced at 41,348 rupees, out of taxes of 10,968 rupees, 8,094 are for Sri Lanka. 

Meanwhile Amaratunga said discussions are ongoing on other taxes as well. 

Sri Lanka also has value added tax and nation building tax on tourist products, which however is a reasonable given the need to broadbase taxes and end exemptions. 

However in many countries VAT paid by tourists is reclaimable. 

There is however a need to collect tax from the sector as many of the larger hotels that have come up have tax holidays and taxes like the NBT are simple to collect especially if booking engines could remit them directly to the state. 

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Sri Lanka looks to grant visa free entry to tourist friendly nations

COLOMBO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a task force to study the possibility of granting visa free entry to visitors from certain tourist friendly nations in order to boost arrivals to the island country, local media reported on Monday.

Sri Lankan Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said that some of the countries under consideration are India, China, and some European and West Asian countries.

Amaratunga said this proposal was aimed at encouraging more people to visit Sri Lanka and avoid the "chaos" at the immigration.

Following recommendations from the Task Force, this proposal may be implemented in the off peak months of October to November and March to April, the minister said.

He further said the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is currently working on this plan.

Additionally, in order to boost arrivals, the minister said the government was also in discussion with airlines, tour operators and hotels to provide low cost packages during the off peak months.

"These efforts are underway to ensure Sri Lanka becomes a destination that would be a visited location throughout the year," Amaratunga said.

Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was once heavily scarred by a 30-year civil conflict, has become one of the leading industries of the country. Tourist arrivals have recorded a growth of 15.3 percent during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period last year, recent statistics from the Tourism Ministry showed.

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Strict enforcement needed to protect Sri Lanka tourism hotspots: expert

ECONOMYNEXT – Strict enforcement of rules and effective management is needed to protect Sri Lankan tourism hotspots like national parks and archaeological sites from over-visitation, an Australian expert said. 

"Over tourism is a somewhat awkward term, and describes the situation in which a particular destination exceeds its carrying capacity, either in physical or social terms,” said Andrew Fairley, former deputy chairman of Tourism Australia, the Australian tourism promotion outfit. 

He drew on his experience in maintaining the sustainability of potentially fragile tourism destinations at a public address by organised by the Australian High Commission and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Australia’s private sector development programme Market Development Facility. 

Over tourism is a familiar theme in Sri Lanka, with popular hotspots like Yala National Park and Sigiriya facing challenges related to overcrowding and the consequent deterioration of the natural asset, a statement said. 

“It results in a deterioration of the tourism experience for both visitors and locals, and if it continued unchecked, could cause serious brand damage,” it quoted Fairley as saying. 

Fairley highlighted the need for an assessment, of carrying capacity, access and behaviours, as well strict enforcement of boundaries in this regard through effective tourism management. 

Establishing “One Voice” in tourism would further aid this goal and prevent the potential negative impacts on Sri Lanka’s tourism assets. 

Fairley also said research, consolidation and sustainability is essential for tourism. 

Core-market analysis, effective marketing and communication, and the importance of optimising tourist visitation were some of the key areas Fairley touched on in his talk on “Staying ahead in global tourism marketing: How core-market research and outreach can deliver a sustainable advantage”. 

Fairley recently worked with the government of Sri Lanka and tourism authorities on the Tourism Strategic Plan 2017-2020 (TSP), released last year. 

Fairley explored elements from the TSP, drawing parallels with Tourism Australia’s strategic journey, which began with consolidation. 

“Underpinning the success of any system reform is the implementation of an efficient and effective governance model,” said Fairley, referring to how Australian tourism was segmented into four separate bodies until 2003, when the government consolidated them and establish Tourism Australia – creating “One Voice”. 

The structural and governance renovation was successful in marketing ‘Brand Australia’ through proactive government involvement that concurrently enabled and enlivened the private sector.

Fairley also spoke of the importance of timely and accurate core-market data to travel industry decision-making. 

In the case of Australia, Fairley highlighted three of Australia’s biggest inbound tourism markets – the UK, China and India, highly relevant to Sri Lanka as well. 

For these, Tourism Australia carried out a detailed analysis of demand and supply. The analysis of drivers led to the creation of Australia’s “experience pillars”, which highlight Australia’s strongest consumer assets. 

“There are many niche opportunities [in Sri Lanka] as well which are comprehensively identified in your tourism strategy,” Fairley said. 

“These include health and well-being, ecotourism, and the MICE market. The challenge is to determine which have priority. Success requires you to focus on a few core strategies and do them well.” 

Converting research findings into actual implementation involves marketing and communication outreach. 

This includes addressing the optimal distribution model and acknowledging the importance of agents, wholesalers and aggregators within the process. 

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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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China offers more facilities to draw Sri Lankan tourists

China is offering more facilities to draw Sri Lankan tourists, China’s state owned Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Chief of Consular Department of Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Wang Keqi briefed local travel agents on the different visa procedures in order to facilitate more tourists to visit China.

According to statistics available at the Chinese Tourism Academy, over 60,000 Sri Lankans visited China in 2016.

A forum was held in Colombo on Saturday to introduce to Sri Lankan travelers tourism services and attractive destinations in China.

In a forum conducted for Sri Lanka’s leading travel agents, organized jointly by China’s national air carrier Air China and the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, Air China said it hoped to provide better services for its travelers between Colombo and Chinese cities in order to increase the number of Sri Lankan tourists.

Some of these facilities include enhanced leg space in all its air buses, more localized Sri Lankan meals and luxurious facilities for its business class travelers.

Emily Liu, General Manager of Air China, Colombo Office, addressing the forum said that since Air China entered the Sri Lankan market three years ago, traffic between Colombo and Chinese cities had increased due to the airline’s promotions and services.

However she said many parts of China still remained unexplored for Sri Lankan tourists and they hoped to increase the numbers.

“We hope to introduce Sri Lankan travel agents to other destinations other than Beijing and Shanghai so that they can promote it among Sri Lankan tourists.

China is today one of the largest economies in the world, which has a rich heritage and a history dating back to many centuries. With its modernized culture in recent years, it has a lot to offer for Sri Lankan tourists and traders,” Liu said. (Colombo Gazette)

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Sri Lanka to develop internal air transport : 5 firms come forward

Sri Lanka’s government and cabinet of ministers has given the go ahead to carry out an overhaul in the domestic aviation industry and develop it. 

“Currently, no clear policy governing civil aviation exists, hindering development due to lack of conformity with international standards,” a cabinet statement said.

To address the issues, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry, along with National Policy and Economic Affairs Ministry, plans to make changes in terms of operating principles, airport infrastructure, management and legislations to make the industry which is currently limited to charter flights at high prices more viable. 

Following a joint call for Expression of Interests by the National Agency for Public and Private Partnerships (NAPPP) and Director General Civil Aviation, five bidders have made investment proposals. 

The Government has decided that the permits will be granted on a first come first serve basis. 

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Elephant Orphanage - Pinnawala Sri Lanka

On your way to Sri Lanka's kingdom in the hills a home for the majestic mammal is present and those are the great giant elephants. The road to the orphanage is covered in trees and shrubs, giving the area a jungle look like atmosphere, suitable for all indigenous Sri Lankan elephant. Most elephant species are now extinct or dead and the orphanage in Sri Lanka is highly acclaimed the world over for its commitment to the preservation of these species. Earlier Pinnawala is a village but elephants like to stay over there therefore it is famous for orphanage of elephants. Compare to now earlier there were different types of elephants and their species. Sri Lanka Pinnawala has the largest flock of captive elephants in the world. In 2011, there were 88 elephants as per counted, including in them 39 were male elephants and 49 were female elephants from last 3 generations, these creatures are living in Pinnawala. To know more about these big giant creatures every year from different countries people like to travel more. If you too are planning then go for your Sri Lanka ETA visa.

 As Sri Lanka is an Asian country Asian culture recognizes elephants as intelligent, emotional and to possess an exquisite memory. They play nicely a pivotal role in Sri Lankan traditions processions, being a part of ceremonies and cultural festivals. A number of fancily decorated and highly adorned elephants are a definite inclusion in the renowned 'Kandy Perahera' and other religious processions or cultural activities celebrated in the country. The orphanage is administered by the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka Authorities which also functions as a breeding ground for the large land mammal. The baby elephants which are found in the jungles are also care by the orphaned people. These baby elephants are taken under their orphanage caring wing and protected well. The elephants are allowed to roam free in the spacious grounds of the orphanage and are well feed and cared for by the mahouts and volunteers. Large quantities of green manure, coconut leaves, tamarind, a local palm kitul leaves, jak fruit, maize and rice bran are well fed to them in their stalls. Both local and foreign guests enjoy interacting with these friendly animals. These elephants gracefully ramble to the banks of the Maha Oya River twice in a day, to quench their thirst and bathe. It becomes a heavenly habitat for the descendants of the mammoth even though it is not quite the same all year because it is their natural life cycle.

 Being one of the foremost elephant conservation projects in our today's article, a visit to this tiny island must be coupled with a visit to the orphanage. Sri Lanka travel agencies are now breeze with the emergence of Sri Lanka car rental services. If you want to know more about this place you can visit to our site ETA Visa Sri Lanka offering Sri Lanka visa online.