Waiting for Godot
View(s):
Frustration! That’s how one could describe the plight of the tourism industry owing to the pathetic attempts by governments – present and past – to launch an overseas marketing campaign to profile the country’s rich offerings to discerning travellers.For nearly a decade the authorities have been struggling to get a tourism promotion campaign off the ground. Often, when it is almost close to being approved after a tedious process of procurement of services and suppliers, the government changes and the process is suspended or an entirely new process begins, reinventing the wheel.
In the present context, tourism should be on a roll with the country receiving many accolades globally as a destination, with even Jaffna being cited as a city to be visited.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. Sri Lanka may achieve a higher number of visitors compared to last year, but will end up less than the targeted 3 million arrivals. While the numbers have increased from last year, foreign exchange earnings are just marginally higher than last year as the country is not attracting too many high spenders with many visitors opting for cheaper, informal sector accommodation.
Many issues have cropped up which need urgent attention. While trying to promote tourism, the previous government approved a US$ 25 visa charge enforced by global visa facilitator VFS compared to just $1 which was in place earlier. This happened while several competing destinations had visa-free access to foreign travellers.
After the new visa fee was challenged in court, the authorities abandoned it. However, even a move to offer visa-free access to over 40 countries, initially proposed by the previous government and accepted by the present administration, is stuck in officialdom after being re-proposed and approved in July. It requires passage through Parliament and this simple process has been delayed. According to an announcement this week by Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath, the process may take another 1-2 months.
All this while, countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are steaming ahead and Sri Lanka fails to take advantage of the many accolades coming its way.
It was that moment when I fancied a mug of tea (where is Kussi Amma Sera today?) and walked to the kitchen. I was then distracted by the conversation among the trio (ah Kussi Amma Sera is here!) under the margosa tree.
“Magey bena dakuney avanhalak karanawa. Than sancharaka karamanthaya godak diyunu nisa, eya saarthakai (My nephew is running a restaurant in the south and he is doing well as tourism is thriving),” said Kussi Amma Sera. “Magey nedey kattiya guide-la hatiyata weda karanawa. Egollo kiyanawa godak weda thiyenawa kiyala (Many of my relatives are tourist guides and they say they get a lot of business),” added Mabel Rasthiyadu. “Magey yaluwekta podi geyak thiyenawa Weligama. Eya eka sancharakainta kuliyata denawa, mokada egollanta hotel ekaka innawata wediya adu milata inna puluwan nae (One of my friends has a small house in Weligama which he rents out to tourists offering much cheaper rates than hotels),” noted Serapina.
While walking back to the office room with my tea, the home phone rang. It was my jolly-mood economist friend, Sammiya (short for Samson) calling on this Thursday morning.
“I say, did you read what the Tourism Minister said a few days ago?” he asked. “Why, what is it?” I asked. “Well, he says the free visa scheme for tourists would take another two months to be enforced,” he said. “In July too, he said it would take two months,” I said. “After making so many promises, the new ruling party is realising that while in opposition it is easy to criticise, but only when in government do you realise that it’s a whole new ball game,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s futile attempts to launch a nation branding campaign comes at a time when Malaysia’s tourism catchphrase ‘Truly Asia’; Thailand’s ‘Same Same, But Different’; Singapore’s ‘Uniquely Singapore’; Cambodia’s ‘Every day is a wonder’; India’s “Incredible India”; Kerala state’s ‘God’s own country’; and the Maldives’ ‘Always Natural’ are making waves globally. Sri Lanka’s ‘You’ll come back for more’ has failed to gain traction in tourism source markets, while the current administration has abandoned this slogan.
With the nation branding campaign being eternally delayed, the hotels association (THASL) last week announced its own, new digital marketing campaign targeting travellers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The destinations were chosen with care – some of these markets constitute high spenders; they travel all year round unlike the westerners who are seasonal visitors and the countries are just a few hours flying time (3+ hours) away from Sri Lanka.
The campaign over three years and tagged ‘Truly Sri Lanka’ initially supported by some of THASL’s membership of 300 hotels, is expected to rope in other members as it gains momentum. The current investment in the campaign is a total of Rs. 25 million.
Tourist arrivals in January-September 2025 totalled 1.7 million, up by 16 per cent from 1.4 million in the 2024 period, while revenue was US$ 2.4 billion, up by a marginal 5 per cent from $ 2.3 billion in the same, corresponding periods.
The government and the industry are at odds whenever private sector officials compare Sri Lanka’s poor marketing campaign with other regional countries. Industry officials say there is no shortage of funds for a campaign owing to the tourism CESS fund which imposes a levy on each traveller.
“It is not fair to compare Sri Lanka with famous tourist destinations. Those countries are among the top 10 places in the world for tourist arrivals and Sri Lanka has a very different tourism industry,” Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam said at a recent public meeting.
While the tussle is on, on fast-tracking a nation branding campaign, between the authorities and the private sector-driven tourism industry, the country suffers in the process, in attracting high spenders and ramping up its foreign exchange earning potential.
Hitad.lk has you covered with quality used or brand new cars for sale that are budget friendly yet reliable! Now is the time to sell your old ride for something more attractive to today's modern automotive market demands. Browse through our selection of affordable options now on Hitad.lk before deciding on what will work best for you!