• Tourism Minister says campaign to be rolled out next year, expects more high-end Belgian tourists
• Belgian Travel Organisers pledges support to put SL back on travel map, extends assistance with market intelligence tool  
• ABTO research shows 89% of Belgian travellers come for culture, 78% for beach and leisure
• SLTPB keen to capitalise on new opportunities for Sri Lanka Tourism in Belgium

By Charumini de Silva

Sri Lanka Tourism yesterday announced plans to launch a Rs. 30 million outdoor advertising campaign in tram stations in Brussels, in a bid to lure more high-end Belgian tourists to the country next year.

Tourism Development Minister  John Amaratunga

ABTO President  Luc Coussement

SLTPB Chairman Kishu Gomes

SLTPB Managing Director  Charmarie Maelge

“For 2020, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is planning to launch an outdoor advertising campaign in tram stations in Belgium,” Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga told journalists, in the presence of a high-ranking delegation from Association of Belgian Travel Organisers (ABTO), in Colombo yesterday.

He said that tenders to select an advertising firm to carry out the campaign within the city of Brussels, Belgium, will be floated locally within the next few weeks. 

“Since it is a local tender, only 21 days will be required, and we hope that by mid-December, we will be able to go ahead with the outdoor campaign in Brussels by 2020,” Minister Amaratunga told the Daily FT on the sidelines of the event.

Amaratunga asserted that during this year, SLTPB had organised three programs in Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent.

The Minister also highlighted that Belgium was one of the first European countries which relaxed the adverse travel advisory after the Easter Sunday attacks, adding that the visa fee exemption to nationals of 50 countries including Belgium, is an encouragement to visit Sri Lanka.

ABTO is the only Federal Association in Belgium which represents 93% of all organised travel from the country, and boasts of over 50 associated and partner members.

“Let’s join forces to bring Sri Lanka back on track and even beyond,” ABTO President Luc Coussement said, extending an assurance to promote Sri Lanka among 21 travel organisers and more than 45 brand names of the Association.  

He called on Sri Lanka Tourism to count on ABTO, noting that they are pleased to jointly promote Sri Lanka in Belgium among its tour operator partners, members, and all stakeholders in their travel industry.

“We came on a mission to discover how Sri Lanka has evolved after the tragic incident on 21 April, and how the country is bouncing back, how safe, ready, and authentic the destination is. We are so glad to say, we haven’t got anything but good news. The country, the cultural aspects, authenticity, safety, is everywhere in this country. This will be shared among our members, stakeholders in the industry, and most importantly with our customers,” Coussement said.

The ABTO President also extended support to share their market intelligence tool to find out the best solutions to assist Sri Lanka in going forward, while assuring to work closely with the SLTPB to link their efforts with trade.

He said their customer research data shows that of the total Belgian visitors who came to Sri Lanka, 78% visited for the value leisure, beach and relaxing factors, while 89% visited for culture and to experience the country. The average stay of a Belgian traveller is less than 13 days, while most of them are high-end visitors.

“Sri Lanka has all of that we came for. By talking with the captains in the industry, we have discovered the potential to be created in the North and East of the island, and saw the investments that have been made on mobility, airports,” Coussement stressed. 

Noting that authenticity was the backbone of their four-day experience in Sri Lanka, he noted that all hotels perfectly fit in their picture. “We saw massive investments done to the hotels with modern infrastructure and comfort, which is rightly balanced with Sri Lanka’s typical DNA. They combine the modern comfort, first class service, perfect integration in the landscape of the beauty of the destination.”

SLTBP Chairman Kishu Gomes said they are keen to work closely to capitalise on the opportunities for Sri Lanka tourism in Belgium.

“Belgium today is not a very large market, with only 14,000 tourists coming in. However, considering their 11 million population, and given the fact that they have done over 11 million visits, the potential is huge. That is what we are interested in,” he added.

Gomes also said Sri Lanka’s tourism industry counts on Europe, as that’s the market which drives the margins.

Accordingly, 37 foreign journalists and over 10 travel groups visited to show solidarity and support to develop the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, post-Easter Sunday tragedy.

However, it was noted that air connectivity was one disadvantage, as most Belgian travellers come via a Middle East stopover. 

The tourist arrivals from Belgium declined by 12.9% up to September this year, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

Sri Lanka Tourism aims high for 2020