SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka To Waive Visa Fee For 48 Countries, Indefinitely

Due to an increase in the number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka with arrivals expected to shoot to the 3-million mark by the end of the year, the government announced on Friday that might waive off the entry visa fee 48 countries, including India, indefinitely.

Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said that last year Sri Lanka attracted over 2.3 million tourists and had set a target of over 3 million tourists this year, but arrivals had declined since the Easter Sunday suicide attacks on April 21.

But now, tourist arrivals have picked up again after the attacks, and we may see arrivals hit the 3 million mark this year, the Minister said.

Amaratunga added that the sudden surge in tourist arrivals was partly due to waiving off the entry visa fee for the 48 countries.

Sri Lanka implemented this policy from August 1 and it will last for six months.

However Amaratunga said if more tourists arrive in the country, the government might waive off the entry visa fee for these 48 countries indefinitely.

Through the free of charge entry visa policy, travellers from the listed countries will be issued a free 30-day visa and if anyone needs an extension, they will be required to make a payment.

Tourism Observer

SRI LANKA: Travel Scams In Sri Lanka

Travel scams can happen to lots of travellers or tourists.

Tourists have different stories emanating from scams.

I was in Sri Lanka for a block of meetings a few years ago and had an afternoon free. I decided to go for a walk from the hotel along the waterfront and look at the old cannons and anything else I could see.

When you are in meetings for several days, anything outside is better than staying in the hotel.

I had hardly crossed the road when I was approached by a very neatly dressed and extremely polite local who told me that he worked for the hotel I had just left and was I aware of the temple and elephants on display there. To which I said no of course.

Next, he tells me that he is going that way and he can show me the place, but it had to be today as the temple was not open for the rest of the week.

Already I think that this is unnecessary but put it aside in my mind since he worked in the hotel I was staying, or so I thought.

So we start walking toward the central part of the city, and he says it is quite a distance and I might be more comfortable riding on a Tuk Tuk. Before I can say no, he signals one up and I feel obliged to get on.

By now, my feeling is this is not right, and I am getting wary. After a couple of kilometres, we arrive at a temple, and the Tuk Tuk is asked to wait for us.

So we go in, and I pay a donation to the temple as entry, but it was only about 2 Dollars so not bad. The temple was quite lovely and yes it had an elephant, but I would not have rushed out to see it in reality.

After about 30 minutes we leave, and the Tuk Tuk takes us to an emerald store, ah-ha I go in my head – this is a commission trick to get you into store, and they get a cut of the sale.

The emeralds and other stones were very lovely, and I spent about 100 Dollars on a couple of items that I really did not need, but in spite of pushed to buy more, I resisted and made it clear that this was all I was spending.

The pressure is subtle but strong, and I think it would have been hard to have just walked out or refused to enter.

We travel back to the hotel where I am shot with the full cost of the Tuk Tuk there and back of about 30 Dollars. They are clearly working together on this.

At this point, I am over this and as lovely as the chap was I know that it is purely a scam to extract what they can get out of you.

The chap then asked for a contribution for his time at which I point out that he will be getting a commission no doubt on the purchase and probably a cut of the fare and walked quickly back to the hotel much to his annoyance.

Next day I am talking with fellow meeting attendees over coffee and mention this scam and find out that not less than three others had exactly the same experience, although a couple admitted to spending more than I did.

So the message is just because they look the part and sound the part when you are travelling in this part of the world trust no-one.

And no, the chap did not work for the hotel, that was a just ruse to get your trust upfront.

The only plus is I feel I was scammed by one of the best and perhaps smoothest operators that have ever tried one on me.

Take care next time you are in Sri Lanka.

This year around 2.3 million tourist arrivals were recorded, said Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunge.

He further stated that this is a record number of tourist arrivals and more tourists are expected during the next few days of the year as well.

The Minister said as tourists travel the length and breadth of Sri Lanka, the required security and facilities had been provided, adding that the Police Department had been provided Rs. 50 million this year to supply the required security for the tourists visiting the country.

Tourism Observer

SRI LANKA: Visitor Arrivals To Sri Lanka Decline 47% In Jul-2019

Sri Lanka‘s Tourism Development Authority reported 05-Aug-2019 visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka for Jul-2019.

Details include:

Visitor arrivals: 115,701, -46.9% year-on-year;

- India: 18,309, -41.0%;

- UK: 13,010, -48.4%;

- Germany: 8385, -22.5%;

- France: 7142, -36.8%;

- China (including Hong Kong and Macau): 6926, -74.8%;

- Netherlands: 6385, -52.1%;

- Australia: 5619, -36.2%;

- Maldives: 3875, -39.0%;

- Canada: 3826, -36.4%;

- US: 2974, -58.5%.

Sri Lanka tourism showed signs of revival in July with an 83 percent increase in tourist arrivals from the previous month after plunging over 70 percent following the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and hotels.

According to the latest data from the Tourism Ministry, total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during July was 115,701, up from 63,072 reported in June 2019.

However, in comparison to July 2018, there was a decline of 46.9 percent when the arrivals were 217,829.

In July the largest source market for tourists was India, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany.

As at 31st July 2019, 1,124,150 of tourists had visited Sri Lanka for this year. It is a decline of 18.7% over last year when 1,382,476 of tourists has visited the country during the same period.

Europe became the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 50% of the total traffic received in July 2019.

Asia and Pacific accounted for 38% of the total traffic, America 6%, Middle East 5% and Africa 1%.

The total number of visitors to the island hit a record 2.33 million in 2018, up 10.3 percent compared to 2017.

India, United Kingdom, Germany, France and China were Sri Lankas top five international tourist generating markets in the month of July this year.

India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 16% of the total traffic received in July 2019. United Kingdom accounted for 11% of the total traffic; while Germany, France and China accounted for 7% and 6% both respectively.


Tourism Observer

SRI LANKA: Tourism Badly Affected As Rains Pound Sri Lanka

Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka's southern and western regions have killed at least 120 people and damaged more than 800 homes, officials said on Saturday.

Ninety-one people were also reported missing and 40 others have been hospitalised after unusually heavy rain on Friday triggered a string of mudslides and caused rivers to burst their banks, according to the country's Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

Indian medical teams and emergency relief arrived in the capital, Colombo, on Saturday to help Sri Lanka deal with the worst flooding in 14 years.

Many thousands are displaced and are trying to come to terms with what has happened with this huge deluge of water.

Some places received a year's supply of rain in 24 hours. It has taken everyone by surprise.

100km south of Colombo, rescuers pulled at least 11 bodies out from the mud and earth, while one person was found alive.

It's been 15-18 years since we've had so much water. It's left people helpless, a man told local media.

We were moving things from 2am. Kitchen stuff floated off, and the roof shades were blown away, a woman said.

Authorities issued fresh evacuation orders for those living downstream of two major rivers, citing a risk of flooding even though the rains had subsided.

Soldiers have fanned out in boats and helicopters to help with rescue operations. Residents said there are more people trapped in interior villages where boats have been unable to reach.

An Indian ship carrying medical supplies docked in Colombo on Saturday, after Sri Lanka issued an international appeal for help. Another ship is due to arrive on Monday.

The flooding is the worst since May 2003 when 250 people were killed and 10,000 homes destroyed after a similarly powerful Southwest monsoon, officials said.

The DMC said the monsoon ended a prolonged drought that had threatened agriculture as well as hydropower generation.

Mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in the tropical Indian Ocean island as land has been heavily deforested to grow export crops such as tea and rubber.

Last May, a massive landslide killed more than 100 people in central Sri Lanka.

As Indian medical and emergency teams arrive in Sri Lanka to aid rescue and recovery efforts after devastating floods and landslides, the torrential rains of the past several days are easing.

A large island in the Indian Ocean immediately south of India, Sri Lanka consists of extensive lowland regions around the coast and a large mountainous interior, where the highest peaks rise to more than 2,400 metres.

Situated between six degrees and 10 degrees north, Sri Lanka has a typical tropical climate, which is somewhat modified by the seasonal wind reversal of the southwest monsoon.

Most of the country has an abundant or moderate rainfall which is well distributed throughout the year. The southwest coast and mountain slopes are the wettest regions, with the greatest rainfall during the months of April to June and October to November.

The flooding rains of the past few days were heaviest in the southwest of the country and mainly due to the onset of the southwest monsoon, which typically arrives in Sri Lanka in late May.

One city impacted by flood waters and landslides is Galle, in the country's southwest. In just 24 hours, the city received 163 mm of rain, a quarter of the May monthly average of 718 mm.

In Ratnapura, which is situated in the south-central region of the country, residents received 304mm in just 24 hours, more than half their May monthly average of 520mm.

In Colombo, the country’s capital situated on the west coast, the rains have been considerably less, with 58mm in 48 hours, against a monthly average of 371mm.

Whilst the rain over the past several days has been persistent and heavy across much of the southern half of Sri Lanka, it is that, along with an already saturated ground and high river levels, that has led to this widespread flooding.

Sri Lanka has been seeing the effects of the pre-monsoon showers for almost the entire month of May.

As the rainfall pours down the high peaks from the mountainous interior, it eventually fills the rivers with nowhere else to go, flooding the land at lower levels and bringing down the mud and rocks along with it.

The forecast for the next few days is for less rain than this past week.

Yet, as the southwest monsoon continues to progress northwards into India, the coming months through July are likely to bring enhanced amounts of rainfall, where, once again, the danger of flooding and landslides remains high.

ESTONIA: Estonia And Sri Lanka To Host Multiple Events

July 1st is the day Estonia begins its six-month term at the helm of the Council of the EU, the country has its plans firmly set on both the event-hosting and political fronts. More than 260 events that are slated to take place during the period, pulling in an estimated 25,000 visitors from abroad.

Most of the conferences will be held in Tallinn, with the Tallinn Creative Hub acting as the main venue for EU presidency-related gatherings.

The unusually large number of events packed into such a short time frame certainly presents a challenge for the Estonian meetings industry, but as Estonians are known for their flexibility and outside-the-box solutions, we're confident that Team Estonia can pull off these events without a hitch,” said ECB Managing Director Kadri Karu.

Among the notable international conferences to take place in the Estonian capital during the presidency will be the Startup Nations Summit, the Connecting Europe Conference and the Estonian Health Tech Cluster's eHealth conference, with the latter two expected to attract 1,500 and 700 delegates, respectively.

Just as these meetings typify Estonia's strong pro-technology credentials, the political priorities the nation has set for its presidential term show an equally tech-related focus.

“Every initiative should be designed to facilitate the lives of businesses and citizens, and to reduce bureaucracy, using as many e-solutions as possible,” Estonia's Government Office wrote, referring to its four policy priorities: an open and innovative European economy, a safe and secure Europe, a digital Europe and the free flow of data, and an inclusive and sustainable Europe.

The Government Office noted that the overarching aim of the Estonian EU presidency was “ensure that the EU remains united and decisive.”

Meanwhile, The PATA Annual Summit 2017 (PAS 2017), under the theme ‘Disruption. Innovation. Transformation: The Future of Tourism’, opened in Negombo, Sri Lanka on May 18 with 406 delegates from 191 organisations representing 39 countries attending the four-day event.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy told local and international media, “The PATA Annual Summit brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are professionally engaged with the Asia Pacific region. At PATA we understand that, to overcome the challenges and issues facing our industry, the public and private sectors must work together.

The summit began with 130 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from Sri Lanka and overseas participating at the PATA Youth Symposium 2017 with the theme ‘No Barriers: Millennials and the Future of Tourism’. The symposium was hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM).

Opening remarks at the one day conference on Friday, May 19 were given by the Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka, and by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai. The conference keynote address on ‘Managing disruption through innovation’ was given by Rafat Ali, CEO & founder of Skift.

Delegates also heard from international thought leaders and industry shapers including Aleandre Kwan, Philanthropies Asia Programme Manager - Microsoft; Andrew Chan, founder and CEO of ACI HR Solutions; Andrew Craig, Head of Corporate Communication India, South Asia and Southeast Asia - Visa Worldwide; Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO and Co-founder – Tripfez; Greg Klassen, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Ha Lam, Co-founder and COO – Triip.me; Jesse Desjardins, Global Manager, Social & Content - Tourism Australia; Joe M. Naaman, Senior Executive Advisor – Global Advisory Council, Skylight Intelligence; Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific – comScore; Jeremy Jauncey, founder & CEO – Beautiful Destinations; Muna Haddad, Managing Director - Baraka; Oliver Martin, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor; Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC – Airbnb; Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President, International Affairs, Office of the President & CEO, Etihad Airways, and Wong Soon-Hwa, Regional Director APAC – Blacklane.

Other topics discussed during the conference were: ‘‘The Transformation of Marketing’, ‘Research Innovation’, ‘Disrupting the Travel Industry’, ‘The Real Future of Tourism: Young Tourism Professionals’, and ‘Embracing Disruption: A Blueprint for the Future of Tourism’.

PATA, in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held a half-day PATA/UNWTO Ministerial Debate on Saturday, May 20 when representatives from the public and private sectors discussed the concepts of recognised sustainability leadership and the sharing economy as they pertain to the travel and tourism industry. The debate was moderated by BBC News Correspondent & Presenter Yogita Limaye.

Panellists included Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General - Tourism Malaysia; Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO - Nepal Tourism Board; Mr. Wander Meijer, Director Asia Pacific - GlobeScan; Mr. Hiran Cooray, Chairman - Jetwing Hotels; Mr Jon Nathan Pangilinan Denight, President and CEO - Guam Visitors Bureau; Mr. Lawrence Leong, Former Assistant Chief Executive (International Group) - Singapore Tourism Board; Ms. Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC - Airbnb, and Mr. Erick Stephens, Chief Technology Officer-APAC, Microsoft.

Before the session on ‘The Shift to Recognised Sustainability Leadership in the Travel and Tourism Industry’, Dr. Rifai provided an inspiring speech regarding the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, while Mr Ali presented on the personalisation of the sharing economy before the session on ‘The Sharing Economy and Travel and Tourism’.

In his speech Dr. Rifai noted, “Asia and the Pacific, which leads the world in international tourism growth, can and should, be a leader in sustainability and innovation; a leader in utilizing the transformative power of travel and tourism in building a new and better world.

A world which is today without any doubt steered by the Pacific.That is why PATA, bringing together the two margins of the Pacific is today a truly global and not only a regional organization.

Delegates gained additional insights about the latest travel and tourism industry trends during the PATA Insights Lounge powered by PechaKucha (formerly the PATA Marketplace) with presentations from Richard Lewis, Partnerships Director Travel and Tourism - What3Words; Mr. Jauncey; Vinoop Goel, Regional Director – Airport, Passenger, Cargo & Security Asia Pacific, IATA; John Schubert, Managing Director – Marketing Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Mr. Stephens; Mr. Nguyen, and Jameson Wong, Director, Business Development, ForwardKeys.

After the presentations, Mr Ali moderated a quick session with all the speakers, highlighting some of the challenges and opportunities for the travel and tourism industry in the current state of the world.

Other highlights of the four-day event included the PATA Awards Presentation, the election of the new PATA Executive Board, the Signing Ceremony of the Private Sector Commitment to the Global Code of Ethics by Triip.me, the signing ceremony with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for PATA Annual Summit 2018, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Mei Shan Municipality Tourism to strengthen the strategic cooperation between both organisations.

SRI LANKA: Tourism For Sustainable Growth

The tourism industry of Sri Lanka is poised for growth to achieve sustainable development phase within the next few years, based on the strategic direction determined by the new government.

Sri Lanka Tourism has formulated a broad Strategic Marketing Plan for year 2016, with the participation of private and public sector stakeholders addressing long standing needs of the industry and the future expectations of the country as a tourism destination. The new strategy was refined for its contents to maximise the benefits to the tourism industry and to position Sri Lanka as the most sought after travel destination in Asia.

During year 2015 up to November , Sri Lanka Tourism recorded 18.1% growth on arrivals with 1.5 million arrivals. The total tourism revenue generated was US$ 2.2 billion. At this backdrop,the tourism promotional plan of year 2016 is formulated based on five key strategic objectives.

Attracting a target number of 2.2 million visitors with 26% annual growth, increasing average daily expenditure of a tourist up to US$ 200 and average stay, contributing to generate a total tourism revenue up toUS$ 2.75 billion will be the key performance measures.

Uplifting Sri Lanka’s brand value up to US$ 80 million through tactical marketing campaigns focusing on main product offerings of the county will serve as the overall goal of the promotional strategy devised for 2016.

The core destination promotional tools will be enhanced such as advertising and PR to implement a global advertising campaign and global PR initiative to stay ahead of the major competitors to Sri Lanka.

The advertising campaign will be implemented in line with the Nation Branding Campaign initiated by the government of Sri Lanka thus by choosing leading service providers following the government procurement guidelines.

Tourism promotional strategy 2016 has addressed the long standing need of appointing PR agencies for key markets especially in Europe, East Asia, Benelux and emerging markets. Sri Lanka Tourism wish to appoint PR agencies for major source markets in order to achieve country promotional objectives and aggressively promote the country enhancing tourism brand in the world.

The strategic choice for country promotions has been constantly challenged by the global trend towards internet/online based destination marketing in the recent years. Most of the traditional marketing tools have been outdated with the introduction of web based booking engines, tour planning, e-marketing and other real time services available to frequent travelers online.

Considering these developments, Sri Lanka Tourism has opted to implement a fully-fledged online and digital marketing campaign for year 2016. The campaign will create language specific web sites for all main markets and will promote the destination on focused online and social media platforms identified in each country.

Special prominence has been given to attract travel bloggers with high reputation who will act as brand ambassadors generating credibility providing first-hand publicity for Sri Lanka based on experience gathered by visiting the country.

The trade familiarization tours and media familiarization tours will continue to be a major component of year 2016 marketing plan. Overall 300 travel agents and 200 travel media will be facilitated from the countries around the world under the familiarization tours hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism.

Familiarization tours will attract prominent print and electronic media to Sri Lanka to produce and generate articles on the destination and its tourism products.

The traditional promotional activities such as participating for travel fairs, conducting roadshows and outdoor promotions will also be carried out in each country. However this will be focused and implemented based on the need analysis.

For year 2016 SLTPB will participate at 46 travel fairs and road shows in 20 key countries in order to develop the product brand and generate sales by B2B agent interactions.

While there is an uncertainty of Sri Lankan Airlines continuing to operate in Europe and several other destinations of choice, Sri Lanka Tourism hope to enter into strategic partnerships with new and existing Airlines connecting the regions capitalising on the “Open Sky” policy of the government of Sri Lanka.

It is planned to develop strategic partnerships with all existing key airlines and work with new airlines like Austrian Air and Malindu Air and Air China who will have new operations to Sri Lanka. The tourism strategy has allocated budgets for working with airlines and strategic partnerships along with attracting charter flights.

Positioning Sri Lanka as a venue for international and domestic events will be a key component of the 2016 marketing strategy. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to stage internationally acclaimed tourism related events in Sri Lanka during next year such as Arugam Bay Pro-Surf, Kiteathelon,Adventure Tourism events etc.

In the meantime more than 25 cultural /religious events and arts and entertainment events that has direct impact for tourism development will be conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism . The activities will be strengthened by increased monetary contribution in year 2016.

On the other hand , steps will be taken to improve the quality of tourism products by investing on the infrustructre developments. Tourism information centers will be strengthened for better serving the travellers. Local media Campaigns , New product developments, niche segments developmemt, working with provincial councils for domestic tourism development are part of the strategy formulated for year 2016.

During the year 2016 Sri Lanka will host the largest ever French travel agent’s congress SNAV, by attracting 600 travel agents from France to the country. The congress will provide huge exposure for the destination in Europe, especially in French speaking countries. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to promote the country as a destination for MICE travel and leisure travelers by proving its capasity to host events of this capasity.

Sri Lanka has also won the host country status for PATA 2017 which provide similar exposure to the destination. The bidding process will continue to attract more congresses, incentive travellers and events with the objective of making Sri Lanka the MICE hub of Asia. The government of Sri Lanka has provided special consessions to MICE travel development which is an encouraging factor to invest in this sector.

The new tourism strategic marketing plan of 2016 will focus on the long term result oriented approach to develop tourism industry in Sri Lanka than serving short term goals.Supported by the strong presence of the newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee, Prime Minsiter,Board of Directors, Chairman, Tourism Minister and Deputy Minister and theMinistry Secretary.

It is aimed at laying the foundation for a far sighted tourism development strategy based on the industry inputs garnered from decades of experience , analysing research findings and country’s competitive position while being attuned to constant challenges faced by soci-political and cultural environment in the world tourism landscape.

The Budget Proposal of 2016 has introduced a comprehensive policy framework for tourism development.Under the guidence of Hon. Prime Minister several key initiatives have been proposed such as setting up an Aquaculture park in Batticaloa, promote sale of gem and jewellery, encourage MICE tourism by establishing necessary infrastructure, encourage spending by tourists, trasform and upgrade touirst attraction sites and local tourism zones, encourage theme parks and removal of tax for water sport equipments yachts and introduce hovercrafts and other water based sports for tourists, tax holidays for investors and removal of TDL are key areas proposed.

With the view of improving operational efficiency and to facilitate investement a new organisation will be formd under the name “Agency for Development”.Tourism branding plan, training and development for tourism youth, registration of tourist hotels based on quality standards etc of the Budget Proposal 2016, will heavily contribute to sustainable tourism development strategy for Sri Lanaka.

As such Sri Lanka Tourism is confident that the new strategic direction will move the country forward making it the most sought after travel destination in Asia while all stakeholders of the industry reap its benefits.

It is very clear that within the next few years to come, tourism industry will become a sustainable sector in the Sri Lankan economy being the top GDP contributor within next few years.

Sri Lanka will adopt a concerted and coordinated approach linking private and public sector and all stakeholders, to assess policies that govern future industry development and provide knowledge to guide successful and sustainable Travel and Tourism strategy for the country.

SRI LANKA: Tourism For Sustainable Growth

The tourism industry of Sri Lanka is poised for growth to achieve sustainable development phase within the next few years, based on the strategic direction determined by the new government.

Sri Lanka Tourism has formulated a broad Strategic Marketing Plan for year 2016, with the participation of private and public sector stakeholders addressing long standing needs of the industry and the future expectations of the country as a tourism destination. The new strategy was refined for its contents to maximise the benefits to the tourism industry and to position Sri Lanka as the most sought after travel destination in Asia.

During year 2015 up to November , Sri Lanka Tourism recorded 18.1% growth on arrivals with 1.5 million arrivals. The total tourism revenue generated was US$ 2.2 billion. At this backdrop,the tourism promotional plan of year 2016 is formulated based on five key strategic objectives.

Attracting a target number of 2.2 million visitors with 26% annual growth, increasing average daily expenditure of a tourist up to US$ 200 and average stay, contributing to generate a total tourism revenue up toUS$ 2.75 billion will be the key performance measures.

Uplifting Sri Lanka’s brand value up to US$ 80 million through tactical marketing campaigns focusing on main product offerings of the county will serve as the overall goal of the promotional strategy devised for 2016.

The core destination promotional tools will be enhanced such as advertising and PR to implement a global advertising campaign and global PR initiative to stay ahead of the major competitors to Sri Lanka.

The advertising campaign will be implemented in line with the Nation Branding Campaign initiated by the government of Sri Lanka thus by choosing leading service providers following the government procurement guidelines.

Tourism promotional strategy 2016 has addressed the long standing need of appointing PR agencies for key markets especially in Europe, East Asia, Benelux and emerging markets. Sri Lanka Tourism wish to appoint PR agencies for major source markets in order to achieve country promotional objectives and aggressively promote the country enhancing tourism brand in the world.

The strategic choice for country promotions has been constantly challenged by the global trend towards internet/online based destination marketing in the recent years. Most of the traditional marketing tools have been outdated with the introduction of web based booking engines, tour planning, e-marketing and other real time services available to frequent travelers online.

Considering these developments, Sri Lanka Tourism has opted to implement a fully-fledged online and digital marketing campaign for year 2016. The campaign will create language specific web sites for all main markets and will promote the destination on focused online and social media platforms identified in each country.

Special prominence has been given to attract travel bloggers with high reputation who will act as brand ambassadors generating credibility providing first-hand publicity for Sri Lanka based on experience gathered by visiting the country.

The trade familiarization tours and media familiarization tours will continue to be a major component of year 2016 marketing plan. Overall 300 travel agents and 200 travel media will be facilitated from the countries around the world under the familiarization tours hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism.

Familiarization tours will attract prominent print and electronic media to Sri Lanka to produce and generate articles on the destination and its tourism products.

The traditional promotional activities such as participating for travel fairs, conducting roadshows and outdoor promotions will also be carried out in each country. However this will be focused and implemented based on the need analysis.

For year 2016 SLTPB will participate at 46 travel fairs and road shows in 20 key countries in order to develop the product brand and generate sales by B2B agent interactions.

While there is an uncertainty of Sri Lankan Airlines continuing to operate in Europe and several other destinations of choice, Sri Lanka Tourism hope to enter into strategic partnerships with new and existing Airlines connecting the regions capitalising on the “Open Sky” policy of the government of Sri Lanka.

It is planned to develop strategic partnerships with all existing key airlines and work with new airlines like Austrian Air and Malindu Air and Air China who will have new operations to Sri Lanka. The tourism strategy has allocated budgets for working with airlines and strategic partnerships along with attracting charter flights.

Positioning Sri Lanka as a venue for international and domestic events will be a key component of the 2016 marketing strategy. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to stage internationally acclaimed tourism related events in Sri Lanka during next year such as Arugam Bay Pro-Surf, Kiteathelon,Adventure Tourism events etc.

In the meantime more than 25 cultural /religious events and arts and entertainment events that has direct impact for tourism development will be conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism . The activities will be strengthened by increased monetary contribution in year 2016.

On the other hand , steps will be taken to improve the quality of tourism products by investing on the infrustructre developments. Tourism information centers will be strengthened for better serving the travellers. Local media Campaigns , New product developments, niche segments developmemt, working with provincial councils for domestic tourism development are part of the strategy formulated for year 2016.

During the year 2016 Sri Lanka will host the largest ever French travel agent’s congress SNAV, by attracting 600 travel agents from France to the country. The congress will provide huge exposure for the destination in Europe, especially in French speaking countries. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to promote the country as a destination for MICE travel and leisure travelers by proving its capasity to host events of this capasity.

Sri Lanka has also won the host country status for PATA 2017 which provide similar exposure to the destination. The bidding process will continue to attract more congresses, incentive travellers and events with the objective of making Sri Lanka the MICE hub of Asia. The government of Sri Lanka has provided special consessions to MICE travel development which is an encouraging factor to invest in this sector.

The new tourism strategic marketing plan of 2016 will focus on the long term result oriented approach to develop tourism industry in Sri Lanka than serving short term goals.Supported by the strong presence of the newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee, Prime Minsiter,Board of Directors, Chairman, Tourism Minister and Deputy Minister and theMinistry Secretary.

It is aimed at laying the foundation for a far sighted tourism development strategy based on the industry inputs garnered from decades of experience , analysing research findings and country’s competitive position while being attuned to constant challenges faced by soci-political and cultural environment in the world tourism landscape.

The Budget Proposal of 2016 has introduced a comprehensive policy framework for tourism development.Under the guidence of Hon. Prime Minister several key initiatives have been proposed such as setting up an Aquaculture park in Batticaloa, promote sale of gem and jewellery, encourage MICE tourism by establishing necessary infrastructure, encourage spending by tourists, trasform and upgrade touirst attraction sites and local tourism zones, encourage theme parks and removal of tax for water sport equipments yachts and introduce hovercrafts and other water based sports for tourists, tax holidays for investors and removal of TDL are key areas proposed.

With the view of improving operational efficiency and to facilitate investement a new organisation will be formd under the name “Agency for Development”.Tourism branding plan, training and development for tourism youth, registration of tourist hotels based on quality standards etc of the Budget Proposal 2016, will heavily contribute to sustainable tourism development strategy for Sri Lanaka.

As such Sri Lanka Tourism is confident that the new strategic direction will move the country forward making it the most sought after travel destination in Asia while all stakeholders of the industry reap its benefits.

It is very clear that within the next few years to come, tourism industry will become a sustainable sector in the Sri Lankan economy being the top GDP contributor within next few years.

Sri Lanka will adopt a concerted and coordinated approach linking private and public sector and all stakeholders, to assess policies that govern future industry development and provide knowledge to guide successful and sustainable Travel and Tourism strategy for the country.

SRI LANKA: Tourism For Sustainable Growth

The tourism industry of Sri Lanka is poised for growth to achieve sustainable development phase within the next few years, based on the strategic direction determined by the new government.

Sri Lanka Tourism has formulated a broad Strategic Marketing Plan for year 2016, with the participation of private and public sector stakeholders addressing long standing needs of the industry and the future expectations of the country as a tourism destination. The new strategy was refined for its contents to maximise the benefits to the tourism industry and to position Sri Lanka as the most sought after travel destination in Asia.

During year 2015 up to November , Sri Lanka Tourism recorded 18.1% growth on arrivals with 1.5 million arrivals. The total tourism revenue generated was US$ 2.2 billion. At this backdrop,the tourism promotional plan of year 2016 is formulated based on five key strategic objectives.

Attracting a target number of 2.2 million visitors with 26% annual growth, increasing average daily expenditure of a tourist up to US$ 200 and average stay, contributing to generate a total tourism revenue up toUS$ 2.75 billion will be the key performance measures.

Uplifting Sri Lanka’s brand value up to US$ 80 million through tactical marketing campaigns focusing on main product offerings of the county will serve as the overall goal of the promotional strategy devised for 2016.

The core destination promotional tools will be enhanced such as advertising and PR to implement a global advertising campaign and global PR initiative to stay ahead of the major competitors to Sri Lanka.

The advertising campaign will be implemented in line with the Nation Branding Campaign initiated by the government of Sri Lanka thus by choosing leading service providers following the government procurement guidelines.

Tourism promotional strategy 2016 has addressed the long standing need of appointing PR agencies for key markets especially in Europe, East Asia, Benelux and emerging markets. Sri Lanka Tourism wish to appoint PR agencies for major source markets in order to achieve country promotional objectives and aggressively promote the country enhancing tourism brand in the world.

The strategic choice for country promotions has been constantly challenged by the global trend towards internet/online based destination marketing in the recent years. Most of the traditional marketing tools have been outdated with the introduction of web based booking engines, tour planning, e-marketing and other real time services available to frequent travelers online.

Considering these developments, Sri Lanka Tourism has opted to implement a fully-fledged online and digital marketing campaign for year 2016. The campaign will create language specific web sites for all main markets and will promote the destination on focused online and social media platforms identified in each country.

Special prominence has been given to attract travel bloggers with high reputation who will act as brand ambassadors generating credibility providing first-hand publicity for Sri Lanka based on experience gathered by visiting the country.

The trade familiarization tours and media familiarization tours will continue to be a major component of year 2016 marketing plan. Overall 300 travel agents and 200 travel media will be facilitated from the countries around the world under the familiarization tours hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism.

Familiarization tours will attract prominent print and electronic media to Sri Lanka to produce and generate articles on the destination and its tourism products.

The traditional promotional activities such as participating for travel fairs, conducting roadshows and outdoor promotions will also be carried out in each country. However this will be focused and implemented based on the need analysis.

For year 2016 SLTPB will participate at 46 travel fairs and road shows in 20 key countries in order to develop the product brand and generate sales by B2B agent interactions.

While there is an uncertainty of Sri Lankan Airlines continuing to operate in Europe and several other destinations of choice, Sri Lanka Tourism hope to enter into strategic partnerships with new and existing Airlines connecting the regions capitalising on the “Open Sky” policy of the government of Sri Lanka.

It is planned to develop strategic partnerships with all existing key airlines and work with new airlines like Austrian Air and Malindu Air and Air China who will have new operations to Sri Lanka. The tourism strategy has allocated budgets for working with airlines and strategic partnerships along with attracting charter flights.

Positioning Sri Lanka as a venue for international and domestic events will be a key component of the 2016 marketing strategy. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to stage internationally acclaimed tourism related events in Sri Lanka during next year such as Arugam Bay Pro-Surf, Kiteathelon,Adventure Tourism events etc.

In the meantime more than 25 cultural /religious events and arts and entertainment events that has direct impact for tourism development will be conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism . The activities will be strengthened by increased monetary contribution in year 2016.

On the other hand , steps will be taken to improve the quality of tourism products by investing on the infrustructre developments. Tourism information centers will be strengthened for better serving the travellers. Local media Campaigns , New product developments, niche segments developmemt, working with provincial councils for domestic tourism development are part of the strategy formulated for year 2016.

During the year 2016 Sri Lanka will host the largest ever French travel agent’s congress SNAV, by attracting 600 travel agents from France to the country. The congress will provide huge exposure for the destination in Europe, especially in French speaking countries. Sri Lanka Tourism hope to promote the country as a destination for MICE travel and leisure travelers by proving its capasity to host events of this capasity.

Sri Lanka has also won the host country status for PATA 2017 which provide similar exposure to the destination. The bidding process will continue to attract more congresses, incentive travellers and events with the objective of making Sri Lanka the MICE hub of Asia. The government of Sri Lanka has provided special consessions to MICE travel development which is an encouraging factor to invest in this sector.

The new tourism strategic marketing plan of 2016 will focus on the long term result oriented approach to develop tourism industry in Sri Lanka than serving short term goals.Supported by the strong presence of the newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee, Prime Minsiter,Board of Directors, Chairman, Tourism Minister and Deputy Minister and theMinistry Secretary.

It is aimed at laying the foundation for a far sighted tourism development strategy based on the industry inputs garnered from decades of experience , analysing research findings and country’s competitive position while being attuned to constant challenges faced by soci-political and cultural environment in the world tourism landscape.

The Budget Proposal of 2016 has introduced a comprehensive policy framework for tourism development.Under the guidence of Hon. Prime Minister several key initiatives have been proposed such as setting up an Aquaculture park in Batticaloa, promote sale of gem and jewellery, encourage MICE tourism by establishing necessary infrastructure, encourage spending by tourists, trasform and upgrade touirst attraction sites and local tourism zones, encourage theme parks and removal of tax for water sport equipments yachts and introduce hovercrafts and other water based sports for tourists, tax holidays for investors and removal of TDL are key areas proposed.

With the view of improving operational efficiency and to facilitate investement a new organisation will be formd under the name “Agency for Development”.Tourism branding plan, training and development for tourism youth, registration of tourist hotels based on quality standards etc of the Budget Proposal 2016, will heavily contribute to sustainable tourism development strategy for Sri Lanaka.

As such Sri Lanka Tourism is confident that the new strategic direction will move the country forward making it the most sought after travel destination in Asia while all stakeholders of the industry reap its benefits.

It is very clear that within the next few years to come, tourism industry will become a sustainable sector in the Sri Lankan economy being the top GDP contributor within next few years.

Sri Lanka will adopt a concerted and coordinated approach linking private and public sector and all stakeholders, to assess policies that govern future industry development and provide knowledge to guide successful and sustainable Travel and Tourism strategy for the country.

SRI LANKA: Record Earnings From Tourism

The tourist sector which has been a growing sector in the Sri Lankan economy has continued to grow according to a report presented by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The latest statistics show that the tourist arrivals in March increased by 22% to 192,841. Furthermore the numbers between the periods of January to March 2016 too grew by 22.1% to 584,818.

As projected the growth of tourism sector has continued to move leaps and bounds. When compared with the numbers last year within the period of January to December 2015 the recorded growth was presented as 17.8%. This amounted to the number of 1,789,380 tourists. The performance of the current year in its early month may suggest a larger growth this year.

On average the monthly average for the present year was presented as 194, 939 tourists, which is a significant increase from the monthly average of the 2015 which amounted to 149,865 tourists. The report presented by Central Bank’s Additional Director D. Kumarathunga said within the last six months of 2015 the average number of tourist arrivals amounted 161,388 which is a significant number when compared to the numbers on average for the last six months in 2014 which was 133,300 tourists.

SRI LANKA: Launching A Logo To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Sri Lanka Tourism

On the 2nd May 2016, nation’s catalyst in Tourism will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee with a greater level of pride. Highlighting this memorable milestone of 50th anniversary, Sri Lanka Tourism will be launching a Logo for its Golden Jubilee Celebrations on the 12th February 2016 at

11.00 a.m. The Minister for Tourism Development & Christian Affairs Hon. John Amarathunga will be the Chief Guest for this event.

Ceylon Tourist Board was established on the 02nd May 1966 as per the No. 10 of Tourism Act 1966. This historical event marks the official commencement of planned tourism development of Sri Lanka. It was also the moment which introduced the regulatory framework in tourism which paved way to the development of tourism facilities and services as well as promotions which were initiated by the national body.

Further, Ceylon Tourist Board operated as the administrative body and handling with the upgrading of tourism product and related services of the Tourism industry in Sri Lanka to drive towards delivering an unforgettable holiday experience to all tourists visiting destination - Sri Lanka.

The national celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Tourism will be held on 27th May

2016 at the main hall of Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), together with all four institutions consisting in Sri Lanka Tourism namely, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka Institution of Tourism & Hospitality Management (SLITHM) and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB). Commemorative volume, a commemorative stamp and a video film on the 50 years history will be launched at the national ceremony.

HE The President and Hon. Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and also the Secretary General of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are being invited for the official ceremony on 27th May 2016. This event will be followed by a National exhibition of which showcases important landmarks of Sri Lanka Tourism since its establishment in 1966 and will held from 27th May to 29th May from 10 a.m. to
9.00 p.m.

In addition, Sri Lanka Tourism, in connection with the celebration of 50th Anniversary will organize several events and activities to mark this historic

SRI LANKA: Tourism Receipts Reach $2.1 billion As At End September 2015

Sri Lanka's Tourism recorded the highest growth of 35.9% in September whilst tourism receipts reached 2.1 billion dollars as at end September 2015 which is the upturn we have seen with strong promotions done by a private-public partnership.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau chairman Dr Athukorala opinioned that the key issue to address is the un-control sector leisure industry accounting for 49% of business whilst it's imperative that we focus on attracting the $250 tourist ensure financial sustainability.