Sri Lanka shines in Beijing through ‘out of the box’ thinking
Chinese travellers spend more on international tourism than any other country and Sri Lanka is cashing in by implementing a mega promotional campaign to cater to their growing appetite for travel.
China is the world’s largest and fastest growing outbound tourism market and its travellers spent a record US$102 billion last year, up 37 per cent from 2011, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Chinese travellers made 83 million outbound trips last year, up from 10 million in 2000, a growth the UNWTO credits to rapid urbanisation, rising disposable incomes and relaxation of foreign travel restrictions.
‘Sri Lanka Shines in Beijing’ a Rs. 150 million mega tourist promotion campaign aimed at attracting at least 200,000 Chinese by 2016 and around 50,000 by the end of this year has been concluded on a successful note last week, according to officials.
The number of Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka has been steadily growing.
A bus with a Sri Lanka Tourism advertisement
Some 16,582 Chinese tourists visited the island during the first six months of this year, compared to 9,622 in the same period last year.
The new campaign has been able to bring about a steady response from 35 Sri Lankan tour operators and 188 Chinese agents from 120 companies which included 22 of the leading outbound tour operators in China, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Bhaswara Gunaratne said.
Sri Lanka is now concentrating more on emerging markets like China and the Middle East while maintaining Western traditional and established markets, he added.
With a budget of Rs. 1.1 billion allocated for similar campaigns for the year, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is now conducting promotional events that would capture both the travel and trade markets as well as create awareness among the general public of the chosen cities about Sri Lanka and its facilities and services.
Prior to this campaign in Beijing, related events have been conducted in India, Japan, in several cities in Russia which included Moscow and Petersburg, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Tourism promotional campaigns are to be held in the Middle East and Korea as well as in Chinese cities of Shanghai next month and in Chendu.
He noted that he held talks with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development’s Vice Chairman Song Yu during the event and extended an invitation to a delegation from the commission to visit Sri Lanka to have a first-hand experience of the country.
Mr. Song Yu has agreed to visit the island with a top level delegation soon, he revealed.
Several airlines have expressed interest in increasing flight connectivity to and from Sri Lanka and China, said Director of the Tourism Bureau Mervyn Fernnadopulle who is also the Chairman and CEO of Airwing Tours.
He revealed that talks are underway with leading tour operators in Beijing to arrange charter flights bringing Chinese travellers to Sri Lanka, he said adding that this will help to create tourism boom in the island once again.
Minister A.H.M. Fowzie and other officials.
The Tourism Promotion Bureau in collaboration with Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators Association of Sri Lanka, have introduced a special holiday package for Chinese travellers, he added.
Sri Lankan Airlines will consider direct flights from China to Sri Lanka with the consent of the top management heeding an informal proposal jointly made by Deputy Minister of Economic Development Susantha Punchi Nilame and Ambassodor Ranjith Uyangoda at a function held at the ambassador’s residence, Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Sri Lankan Airlines, Dimuthu Tennakoon revealed to the Business Times.
“At the moment we operate flights to China via Bangkok (transit) and many Chinese have also made requests for direct flights to Sri Lanka from Beijing,” he added.
The ‘Sri Lanka shines in Beijing’ campaign captivated Chinese politicians government officials, Ministers, media personnel, representatives of trade, business entities, tour operators, travel agents as well as Chinese citizens with a spectacular Sri Lankan night, the launch of the first ever official tourism website in Mandarin, B2B meetings in travel as well as trade, a bus advertising campaign, billboard advertising, web marketing, light box advertising, newspaper advertising in high circulation newspapers such as the Beijing Times and Global Times with circulation of over 1.4 million, radio and TV advertisements.
The campaign kicked off on Thursday, August 29th at the China World Hotel with a ‘Sri Lankan Night’ which featured cultural pageants, traditional dancing and music reflecting the unique Sri Lankan identity.
Over 400 high profile Chinese guests including politicians, government officers, travel trade businessman and media attended the event along with Senior Minister A.H.M. Fowzie and Deputy Minister Susantha Punchi Nilame as chief guests.
The Sri Lankan Night was followed by a ‘Business forum’ on Friday at the same hotel targeting the travel and trade participants.
The Shopping Mall activation which began on the same day at ‘The Place’ shopping mall has attracted thousands of Chinese in Beijing and they were thrilled seeing Sri Lankan dancers, drummers and DJ’s with a Chinese presenter taking the stage to entertain the Chinese public.
A large number of Sri Lankan firms displayed their products and services during the campaign. Among those exhibitors were the island’s gem traders who displayed the world’s best blue Sapphire’s among many other gem stones
Sri Lanka went in for bus branding in China in which 50 city buses each in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu were adorned with landscape photographs of the island to make Chinese learn of the natural and scenic beauty of the ‘paradise in the Indian Ocean’.
A mega billboard advertising campaign has also been launched in Beijing in parallel to a series of other promotional activities such as promoting Sri Lanka through light box advertising, paper advertisements, radio jingles and also a PR campaign.
The billboard campaign was the first ever promotion of its kind ever to be carried out in this magnitude.
The LED backlit hoarding screens are now being displayed in over 21 strategic locations in Beijing.
“Sri Lanka isn’t stopping there, but is completely revitalising current tourism promotions with ‘out of the box thinking’ in order to further accommodate Chinese tourists ensuring a smoother and more efficient process through vigorous awareness campaigns,” said Mr. Gunaratne.
The Sri Lankan delegation to for the Beijing campaign launch was led by Mr. Fouzie and included Mr. Punchinilame, Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Anura Siriwardana Mr. Gunaratne, Director General Of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Dr. D.S Jayaweera and Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Rumy Jauffer.
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