Govt. to bend the rules for speedy tourism campaign
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, facing a significant drop in arrivals, wants the government to expedite a campaign to be launched to showcase the country as “safe and open” with no issues.
Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators Association President Nalin Jayasundera speaking with the Sunday Times Business said that compared to last year they expect a drop this year due to the restrictions on air travel and increased fuel costs impacting arrivals from Europe, a traditional market for Sri Lanka.
He noted that in this respect they held discussions with Deputy Tourism Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe to launch an interim campaign into markets like India, China, the Far East and Australia in a bid to attract more travellers from markets where flights are available without any issues.
He noted that they wanted the authorities to consider launch this campaign as a special case and expedite the approval process. The Deputy Minister is said to have extended his support to carry out the relevant campaign cutting across the normal procurement process.
Intensifying marketing in these markets will help to generate increased numbers so as to make up for the lower numbers experienced from the European sector.
Mr. Jayasundera said there will be a drop from the European markets as flight costs for new bookings will increase and long haul flight tickets will be costing higher and as a result travellers will be cautious.
Commenting on the rates in Sri Lanka, he noted that while they do not increase rates on bookings make previously however going forward any new bookings will be subject to price fluctuations as per costs.
However, he hopes no major rate increases are carried out in a bid to ensure Sri Lanka remains attractive to more visitors.In this respect they are also looking at extending the free visa option to 40 countries and this too needs to be expedited he said. These measures will help Sri Lanka be positioned as an attractive destination, Mr. Jayasundera said. The government should give leadership and “we have to think differently” to keep the market attractive for travellers, he said.
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