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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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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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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Sri Lanka looks to ease tourist visa requirements to boost tourism

COLOMBO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his government is looking at easing the air traffic system including Sri Lanka visas for tourists to boost the island's tourism industry, local media reported Saturday.

Speaking at the Hotel Show Colombo 2018 in the capital of Colombo, Wickremesinghe said that easing visa requirements for tourists was an important step for the island's rapidly developing tourism as the basic requirements of entry into the country must be streamlined.

Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of increasing the number of tourists visiting the country, thereby bringing in more revenue and improving the people's income.

"For us, in the short term, tourism is one of the job creators," the prime minister said. "It means a future for Sri Lankan employment. It means a future for Sri Lankan youth," he added.

Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was once heavily scarred by a 30-year civil conflict, has become one of the leading industries after the island was dubbed as one of the world's greatest tourist hot spots by international publications.

Tourist arrivals have recorded a growth of 15.3 percent during the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year, statistics from the Tourism Ministry showed.

India, China and Britain have remained the largest growing markets.

Sri Lankan Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said recently that the government was targeting a revenue of 4.4 billion U.S. dollars through tourism this year.

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Sri Lanka exports up 9.8-pct, tourism grows 6.2-pct in May

ECONOMYNEXT - Sri Lanka's merchandise exports rose 9.8 percent from a year earlier to 841 million dollars in May and tourism grew 6.2 percent to 240 million dollars, while remittances fell 3.4 percent to 580 million dollars, the central bank said.

The main merchandise and services exports totaled 1.744 billion US dollars.

Merchandise imports rose 7.7 percent to 1,857 million US dollars.

The rest of the trade deficit (current account deficit) is usually driven by financial inflows such as net foreign borrowings which are spent by government in the domestic economy and foreign direct investment, which are used to construct factory buildings or machinery.

Money printing by the central bank will also drive credit and imports though the banking system, but unlike dollar inflows, the new money created will create an overall balance of payments deficit and put pressure on the rupee peg with the dollar, as there are no matching inflows to back the spending.

Sri Lanka's private citizens are usually net savers and the trade deficit is mostly driven by borrowings taken and spent by the government.

Any remittances which are saved in foreign currency deposits will not generate a trade deficit until a bank buys Sri Lanka Development Bond to finance the budget deficit or gives a dollar loan to a qualified local borrower.

Industrial exports rose 15.5 percent to 709.7 million US dollars, with apparel and textiles up 10.9 percent to 398.3 million US dollars.

Rubber products rose 2.4 percent to 68.6 million US dollars and petroleum products rose 66.8 percent to 46.1 million US dollars and gems and jewelry rose 3.3 percent to 23.1 percent.

Chemical products rose 28.1 percent to 14.3 percent and base metals rose 56.1 percent to 14.5 million US dollars.

Agricultural exports fell 5.9 percent to 209.6 million US dollars with tea falling 7.9 percent to 121.2 million US dollars.

Coconut exports fell 13.6 percent to 24.2 million US dollars, minor agricultural products fell 19 percent to 10.5 million US dollars.

Seafood exports rose 19.9 percent to 21.2 million US dollars.

Consumer goods imports rose 8.1 percent to 414.5 million US dollars, vehicles up 29.7 percent to 119.6 million US dollars and foods and beverages down 21.1 percent to 128.6 million US dollars.

Sri Lanka raised fuel prices in May which may cause non-oil imports to moderate in the coming months as losses financed by credit at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation falls.

Intermediate goods rose 20.6 percent to 1,042.7 million US dollars with fuel imports rising 61.8 percent to 348.9 million US dollars.

Legal gold imports fell to 0.1 million dollars from 35.8 million US dollars. Investment goods fell 8.8 percent to 398.2 million US dollars.

In the five months to May, Merchandise exports rose 6.7 percent to 4,707 million US dollars, imports rose 11.8 percent to 9,622 million US dollars and the trade deficit grew 17 percent to 4,914 million US dollars. (Colombo/July21/2018)

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Of elephants and tourists: Sustainable wildlife tourism in Sri Lanka

Srilal Miththapala, eTN Sri Lanka ambassador, delivered a talk on “Sri Lanka Tourism & Sustainability with special emphasis on Elephants” at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Canberra recently.

The audience consisting of travel writers, tourism industry representatives, as well as wildlife and elephant enthusiasts enjoyed the informative and insightful presentation with video clips of elephants in Sri Lanka. 

This is the second talk given by Srilal Miththapala at the High Commission and the third in the series of tourism promotional events hosted by the High Commission to provide the tourism industry, travel writers, and wildlife experts in Canberra an opportunity to see a glimpse of what Sri Lanka has to offer in terms of wildlife and sustainable tourism. 

After a brief overview of Sri Lanka’s topography and tourism factors, Miththapala focused on the Sri Lankan elephant which is fast becoming an icon for Sri Lanka tourism. He described the cultural and religious importance of this special animal in the country as well as its demographics, behavior, and social life. He also entertained the audience with stories of personal encounters with these gentle giants revered in the island nation, along with images and videos. 

High Commissioner Somasundaram Skandakumar, in introducing the speaker, highlighted his vast experience in the hospitality industry and in developing sustainable tourism practices in Sri Lanka.

A very lively Q and A session followed with many questions from travel writers and journalists in the audience. 

The audience was able to interact with the speaker at the end while savoring Sri Lankan tea and delicacies. 

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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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