News

Uncertainty in tourism industry

Uncertainty at the Tourism Ministry and its institutions continued this week with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Bernard Goonetilleke being refused travel permission by the Ministry to participate in a PATA board meeting in China next week, industry sources said.

Mr. Goonetilleke was unavailable for comment. PATA, the premier tourism body in Asia and the Pacific, is holding its board of management meeting in which Sri Lanka is a member. The sources said Tourism Minister Nandana Gunatillake had gone abroad to Japan to attend a travel fair there.

The sources said the new minister is yet to meet the industry which is worried over attempts to reduce budgets on promotional activity at a time when the Sri Lankan brand needs to be positioned across the world. They said Minister Gunatillake had also through advertisements called for submissions on a new tagline to the brand to replace ‘Small Miracle’ but without any scientific basis being listed out.

“Brands all over the world are developed through a scientific process…not just asking the public to give a name. Furthermore the minister has said publicly that one need not spend money on creating a brand. However the advertisement calling for submissions alone cost more than Rs 800,000,”one source said.

 
Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
 
Other News Articles
IDPs: India pressurizes Govt.
Pillayan-Karuna clash intensifies in East
Police powers for FEB officials
Nude pics to embarrass Lanka: CID
Ranil reiterates gold charge
Calls to halt animal sacrifices
New laws urged to save sacrificial animals
Upcountry flower now blooms in Puttalam
Working girl charges female cops with sexual harassment
ICC Trophy will see hot betting on top batting
Threats force Elder to leave Lanka early
PM leads delegation to New York for UN General Assembly
Police inaction in face of growing violence, say polls monitors
Waiting in hope
Trial of school principal to go ahead
Eid festival tomorrow
Cruel seas
SriLankan Airlines boosts Italian sector
US is not perfect, but committed to promote rights and freedom
Exposing an exposition -- the Sunday Times INSIGHT
The GSP Plus report: Could we have done it better?
IMF team to meet the media
Solheim suffers setback
Another doctorate for the President
Uncertainty in tourism industry
Justice to be streamlined
Odds and Ends
Relocated IDPs yet to reach home: UN report
Don’t blame the West, fight for GSP Plus, Karu tells Govt.
Furnace oil crisis: CPC may blacklist supplier
Estate deal divides trade unions

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2009 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution