Centre for Research and Sustainability Studies in Tourism to be launched

The Centre for Research and Sustainability Studies in Tourism (CRST) will be inaugurated on 26 September 2012 at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo with the participation of industry professionals and associations, as part of the World Tourism Day celebration.

Tourism is an increasingly important area of economic activity in all countries, and as such, should have a commensurate level of statistical development.

However, there is more work to be done in the area of compilation of basic tourism statistics to better serve the needs of economic policy makers in governments, industry managers and business community and, at the same time provide a solid foundation for the nation accounts in general and for Tourist Satellite Accounting (TSA) in particular.  (UNWTO)

The CRST, the first of its kind is a unique think tank established with the intention of acting as an information hub to the Tourism and related industries. The centre hopes to fill the current gaps in the gathering, analysis and dissemination of tourism related decision making statistics for both public and private sector organisations.

This non-profit endeavour is the brain child of Dileep Mudadeniya, a professional in the tourism industry armed with a robust portfolio of sector experience. In addition, the centre will receive expert guidance of an advisory committee comprising of industry stalwarts and eminent intellectuals.

The Advisory Panel consists of: M.L.N. Lantra – CEO (former Director Research and International Affairs Sri Lanka Tourism); Frank Haas – Advisor (Dean of Hospitality, Business and Legal Education, University of Hawai‘i, Kapi‘olani Community College), H.M.S. Samaranayake – Advisor (former Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority), S. Kalaiselvam – Advisor (former Director General of Sri Lanka Tourism), Srilal Miththapala – Advisor (Project Director /EU-SWITCH ASIA Programme –  Greening Sri Lanka Hotels, CCC), Prof. Uditha Liyanage – Advisor (Director, Postgraduate Institute of Management), and Prof. Don Hawkins – Advisor )Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Tourism Policy).

In a post-war scenario where the tourism industry will be the 3rd largest earner of foreign exchange also supporting the livelihood of over 15% of the population by 2016, a credible and informed source of information is required for the benefit of decision makers both in the public and private sectors.

The co-founder of the Centre Mudadeniya states: “The CRST will act as an independent body with a sound research database, providing actionable data, analysis and studies supporting the upliftment of tourism in Sri Lanka at the macro level, gearing up to the arrival of more than a million visitors by the end of 2012.”

The inauguration of CRST will be held on 26 September 2012. The keynote speech will be delivered by Sarah Reiter on ‘Country Brand Index, Sri Lanka’s position and Branding Strategy of London Olympic 2012’. Considering the relevance of the topic scheduled to be discussed for marketers, CRST has partnered with the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and invited over 150 key industry leaders from both leisure industry and marketing fraternity.

The centre will provide a monthly news letter as well as a publication outlining trends, competitor actions, developments in aviation, marketing initiatives, Sri Lanka’s competitive position and new key events around the world.

Commenting on the initiative, Chairman of SLAITO Mahen Kariyawasam said: “The need for such an entity had been there for a long time and we are happy that now it is coming in to reality. We all need relevant data and trends to position our business and to embrace the new technology to thrive ourselves. The study done by USAID in 2006 clearly identified this need.”

Chairman of the Hotel Association Anura Lokuhetty said: “It is time we discuss sustainability issues for the future of our industry. Along with the growth in numbers we need to be concerned about our environment, people and ethics. An independent organisation working on this area is indeed a great achievement and the Hotel Association would always support such initiatives.”

CRST is expected to produce reports on:

n Sustainability

n Market intelligence

n Carrying capacity

n Tourism for peace and reconciliation

n Islandwide survey on SME sector involvement and contribution

Commencing on the initiatives, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said: “Country needs a proper input-output analysis of the tourism industry in order to develop macro level economic policies. I am happy to note that CRST is planning to conduct such studies.”