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Friday, 15 November 2013 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Cheranka Mendis
To achieve the maximum benefit from the uplifted and beautified city of Colombo, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau yesterday hosted 150 travel and tour operators from 14 countries to a B2B meeting session in Battaramulla.
Utilising the large tent that was constructed to host the Commonwealth Business Forum dinner for delegates the previous night on the banks of Diyawanna Oya facing the Parliament complex, the International Tourism Forum brought together the largest travel and tour operator group in history to Sri Lanka to network with 160 local leisure sector operators with hopes of increasing partnerships and business.
The international groups hailed from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, UK, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Along with the operators, 40 international media personnel have also been brought down to promote the country as it hosts the prestigious Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Both the international media and the operators will spend five days in the country, visiting some of Sri Lanka’s tourist hotspots such as the pristine beaches down south, tea trail up-country and historical Sigiriya among others. While most of their accommodation has been provided free-of-charge by the service providers, some have been given on a discounted basis.
The expense borne by Sri Lanka Tourism for the entire program is estimated at Rs. 35 million.
Industry participation
Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Bhashwara Gunarathna told the Daily FT that the authority saw it fit to organise a trade mart to take advantage of the improvements done in connection to CHOGM in an effort to boost the image of the country and draw in more tourists to the country.
The event has been supported by The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), which have come forward to arrange trips and give rooms either free or at discounted rates, Gunarathna said.
A number of airlines including SriLankan Airlines, Emirates and Turkish Airlines among others have also offered package benefits for the operators and media. “This is an opportunity for us to show the glamour of the country as it hosts CHOGM,” he said.
“As the country prepares to welcome 2.5 million tourists by 2016, it is important for us to market ourselves internationally, moving away from traditional markets to new and emerging ones with high spending tourists.”
Promoting Sri Lanka in Russia
Within the first nine months of the year, Sri Lanka has extended its hospitality to 22,562 tourists, a 37.6% increase from the 16,396 arrivals during the same period last year.
Sri Lanka is relatively well-established in Russia’s city area, Sri Lankan Ambassador in Russia Udayanga Weeratunga said adding that it was now time to expand the potential in areas beyond the city.
With the largest delegation of travel and tour operators partaking in the event coming from Russia, the majority of the operators who were brought down were from the targeted areas beyond the city. “Our agents must now build contacts among these other operators through which we can expand our presence in Russia.”
100,000 Russian tourists by 2014
Weeratunga noted that a total of 52,000 Russians visited the country last year, which is expected to reach 70,000-72,000 this year. “My target is 100,000 Russian tourists to Sri Lanka by 2014. Very soon I hope we will be able to surpass the UK, the largest market for Sri Lanka in this sector.”
Russian tourists spend at least seven to 10 days in the island, going up to 14 days maximum. Their expenditure is likely to be US$ 1,200 per week.
Sri Lanka’s age-old ‘sun, sea and sand’ concept has been embraced by the Russians, with 70% of them coming into the country spending two days for excursions and five to nine days enjoying the breeze and the waves. For excursions, their key picks over the years have been Polonnaruwa and Kandy areas.
To attract more from this market, Sri Lanka must improve its nightlife and hotels must look at improving entertainment options, Weeratunga said.
Good effort, says industry
Colombo City Hotels Chairman M. Shanthikumar and The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Jayantissa Kehelpannala commended the efforts by Sri Lanka Tourism in taking the initiative in organising such an event.
“It is the first time we have seen so many numbers in Sri Lanka for B2B meetings in tourism,” Shanthikumar said. “This is a very positive move and gives great exposure for locals to interact and network with a large number of tour operators while giving the international operators an opportunity to see the product they are selling.”
He added: “Thanks to CHOGM, the city is looking beautiful. It is absolutely clean and the roads and parks have been developed well. Hosting the operators now gives them good exposure in to our country.”
Agreeing with Shanthikumar, Kehelpannala said: “We need to concentrate our efforts on emerging markets such as Russia, China and Ukraine. These are the new markets. This is a good start and it will help increase arrivals in the future.”
Also the Sector Head of Sri Lankan Resorts in the John Keells Group, Kehelpannala noted that the Cinnamon hotels have also identified the emerging sectors as important and planned various promotions in the noted markets.
Pix by Lasantha Kumara
