Travel

Good tidings for domestic tourism

by Charmaine FERNANDO

Innovation is the way forward when it comes to attracting customers, said a spokes person for Ceylon Hotels Corporation, now managed by The Galle Face Group. He believes there is immense scope in domestic tourism if we understand the different customs and practices of the people in our regions and put good ideas in to practice. Thinking creatively pays off here, especially when conceptualizing banquet promotions around their lifestyle and uplifting their level of living. Domestic tourism fills the gap between tourist seasons and supports the sustenance of the industry, he said.

The despicable storm of terror has subsided. Or rather has been wiped out. The ocean rises against the sand dunes wiping all bitterness. Finally, Sri Lanka heaves a sigh of relief. The dove of peace still hovers in the sky. The mines have to be unearthed. The debris has to be cleared. The aftermath of a war leaves much residue to be swept and many facilities to be rebuilt and rejuvenated, before the red carpet is laid. Yes, there is so much to attend to before setting the stage for tourist arrivals from overseas.

As the tourist season gets round the corner it brings glad tidings for an industry that suffered most, inflicted with serious damage in the past.

opportunities

The hotels have begun refurbishing. Boutique hotels in the region are busy recruiting.

The tourism authorities are conceptualizing new ways of attracting more and more tourists. Sri Lanka Tourism is marketing Sri Lanka overseas, with value additions, with the hope that the global recession won't keep the numbers down. 'Domestic tourism, is being looked at in a new light and promoted with a new found vigour and vitality not necessarily as a go-between the overseas tourist seasons but as a profitable venture penetrating in to an existent market segment, not given proper focus previously', he said.

Rural markets

Domestic tourism opens up a whole different world of opportunity for Sri Lanka if we think creatively and put innovation in to practice, he said. When new things are introduced it gets noticed and people will have a yearning to try it out. We have come up with a concept to entice an entirely new market segment hitherto untapped. We have come up with an affordable Wedding Package that is novel and blends well with people's requirement of 'a grand wedding, at the most affordable price factor with quality service guarantee, elevating standards of rural wedding celebrations' he explained.

Domestic tourism

"We have looked in to different regional stations, starting with people of Polonnaruwa, their lifestyle, habits, rituals, customs, needs and wants and have carried research studies on what is best suited to the people living in our rural sector.

This has provided us a deeper insight in to how these people can be enticed in to accessing services offered by our regional Food and Beverage Outlets, Rest Houses and Star Class Hotels. Affordability was a key factor we had to work on, and we selected Polonnaruwa as our research point to steer the 'Memorable Wedding' campaign" he said.

Rural weddings

People in Polonnaruwa celebrate weddings in a grand style all their own. Their customs and practices see to it that the invitees bestow on the couple all the raw material that the wedding celebrations require. Friends and relations follow their traditional practice of bringing rice, vegetables, spices and almost everything that is needed to feed hundreds of relatives who arrive at the house of the bride from all four corners of Sri Lanka.

Drawing inspiration

The invitees don't buy expensive gifts from shops. Instead the rural community gifts what they produce in their garden or chena. Relatives travel from far and wide to attend the wedding and therefore stay in the bride's home for many days. The rations are brought to supplement the cost of their stay. CHC innovatively wrapped their brilliant promotional concept round this traditional practice. CHC hotels in Polonnaruwa, the Seruwa Hotel and the Rest House offers 4 wedding menus to select from, provided the bridal families handover all ingredients from salt to saffron, from fish to whatever meats and of course the firm favourite, rice.

wedding package

The ingredients at the time of handing over has to guarantee good quality. The order must exceed a minimum of 100 invitees. The hotel will prepare meals, provide the hotel banquet halls and serve the invitees. Cake structures, setteeback flower arrangements and decore, music and whatever other extras need to be brought in by the bridal group. The basic charge will be Rs. 250 per person for the hotel services. Affordability makes it that much attractive to the rural bridal market.

The Seruwa Hotel and the Polonnaruwa Rest House are popular with tourists, corporate and State entities who hold functions and up-market locals have a habbit of dropping in for a meal or stay over. We thought of opening our doors to the public to access our wedding facilities such as large halls, catering and other banquet services at an affordable price. "The best part is we are throwing in a complimentary room for the couple. This promotion is valid only up to 30 August 2009 and the prospective bridal couple or their parents are advised to make their bookings prior to the deadline", he said.

Grand wedding

Already inquiries are pouring in and many have called in for discussions with the management in Polonnaruwa.

This is a very positive move from the market, he confirmed. CHC owns properties all over the island. The promotion will take off at Polonnaruwa as a test location, initially, and will break in to the regions depending on the rising demand from people in the regional locations, he said. This promotion makes real every rural bride's dream of having a grand wedding within their means.

British bmi strengthens ties with SriLankan

The well-known British airline bmi has become the latest major carrier to strengthen ties with SriLankan Airlines, and will shortly begin codesharing on flights between London, Colombo and Male operated by Sri Lanka's National Carrier. SriLankan's Head of Worldwide Sales, Mohamed Fazeel, said: "SriLankan Airlines is delighted that passengers of our long-time partner bmi will now have the opportunity to experience the warmth of Sri Lankan hospitality on board our flights from London to Colombo and Male."

Malaysia Airlines in June expanded its partnership with SriLankan, and Etihad did the same last October. Saudi Arabian Airways also has a partnership with Sri Lanka's award-winning National Carrier. SriLankan Airlines is in the forefront of reviving the country's tourism industry, following the dawn of peace in the island.

The British government recently relaxed its travel advisory on Sri Lanka. The UK has for decades been the largest tourism market for Sri Lanka, although India has in the last few years caught up in number of arrivals.

Fazeel added: "The enhanced partnership also significantly strengthens the prospects of more British tourists visiting Sri Lanka, since they will feel more confident about visiting Sri Lanka with one of their own major airlines selling Sri Lanka as a destination. This partnership also indicates the potential of Sri Lanka being rapidly recognised as a destination of choice among other European airlines and tour operators." At present, there are no European airlines flying in to Colombo, apart from ad hoc charter operators. The enhanced partnership allows bmi which is one of the largest airlines operating out of London Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, to send its passengers on SriLankan's flights between London Heathrow and Colombo, and also London Heathrow and the Maldivian capital Male. SriLankan and bmi have had a codeshare partnership since 2004, which allows SriLankan's passengers on the Colombo-London route to fly on the same ticket to eight of bmi's destinations - Manchester, Bradford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, and Belfast.

Codesharing refers to the arrangement between two airlines by which passengers of one airline can fly on flights of the other. Passengers then have an increased number of destinations to fly to. For the airlines, it provides opportunities to serve more destinations without having to invest in more aircraft and infrastructure. Codesharing is usually between airlines of similar standards, to ensure that passengers receive excellent service.

Nallur festival celebrated in grand manner

Thousands of Hindu devotees are expected to flock to the historic Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil for the annual Nallur festival, held from July 27 to August 19. The annual festival is expected to be celebrated on a grand scale this year, with the dawn of peace in the country.

Sri Lanka Tourism, as an initiative to promote religious and cultural tourism, has spearheaded the promotion of the historic Nallur Festival, particularly with the Tamil Diaspora, who was encouraged to come with their families and participate in the festivities. Hon. Minister of Tourism Promotion Faiszer Musthapha with a delegation from the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Industry visited Jaffna last week to develop and promote the tourism and hotel industry in the peninsula ahead of the festival.

"This is the first time that the Nallur Festival is being celebrated with peace prevailing in the country," said Hon. Faiszer Musthapha, Minister of Tourism Promotion. "After the successful eradication of terrorism in Sri Lanka, Hindu devotees are finally being able to perform their religious rights without any hassle. The Government has not only been successful in providing freedom of religious observance for the Hindu community but also provide facilities for them to perform their religious duties without being subject to duress and harassment. Sri Lanka Tourism are working closely with Heli Tours, the commercial branch of the Sri Lanka Air Force and have introduced direct charters flights to transport devotees to Jaffna during the festival.

The Nallur Festival is one of the highlights of the social, cultural and spiritual milieu of Jaffna society. In Sri Lanka and beyond, Nallur Kumaran is popularly known as Alankara Kanthan (Lord of exquisite adornment).

The annual festival of Nallur Kumaran temple is conducted during July or August of each year for 28 days.