Bumper New Year for Sri Lanka tourism
View(s):Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is expecting a bumper New Year with the country promotions set to get underway and the ones that took off this year set to create a hype despite a dreary start to the winter season.
Sri Lanka Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte said that 2019 is looking very optimistic with a bumper year expected.
They expect to close 2018 with US$3.5 billion in revenue and 2.2 million in arrivals.
Though the close of the year saw a few cancellations but it was essentially the tense situation in Kandy, earlier in the year, that caused concern among travellers especially from the West Asian market that were tipped to vacation in Sri Lanka.
However, the industry pulled through with the state authorities launching a CNN campaign in May for a three month period which also helped sustain the image of the tourism sector.
In addition another campaign launched together with a number of industry stakeholders titled “Island Escapes” was a sure win and that is also expected to provide better effect next year when the low season months roll in.
The digital campaign also kicked off, according to authorities in some of the key markets of UK, France, Germany, India and China and followed in November with the launch of the Sri Lanka branding “So Sri Lanka” at the World Travel Mart in London amid the political crisis in the country at the time.
However, the post events of the brand launch were unable to get underway and are likely to be carried out subsequently now that the situation has improved.
The industry is once again of the belief that the cancellations during the November and December months due to the adverse travel advisories are to take a better turn when these would soften after successful intervention by the authorities with the respective diplomatic missions.
The situation in the country is currently “slightly better,” Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators President Harith Perera said noting that the whole political turmoil did not escalate which proved well.
In fact, he noted that some hotels have said there has been a pick up from corporate houses with incentive travel on the surge.
Since last week there had been a change, he said noting that there is no news currently concerning the political turmoil as a result of which foreign tour operators and travel agents appear positive on the stability in the country.
(SD)