Digital info kiosk at BIA ideal for tourists

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) has established the first ever Tourist Information Kiosk (TIK) at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to provide all required information for tourists arriving in Sri Lanka.

This is a joint project commenced by the SLTPB which comes under the Economic Development Ministry in collaboration with Intelo Networks (Pvt) Ltd to establish a network of digital TIKs in key locations such as tourists information centres of the SLTPB, business centres, shopping malls, selected hotels and places with a high tourist footfall. The first ever TIK established at the BIA was opened by Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne recently, a Civil Aviation Ministry spokesman told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

TIK is a technology driven Digital Information Network (display information through electronic touch screens and LCDs) that provides precise exposure to tourism industry, excellent returns to beneficiaries of tourism and brand awareness to consumers. Initially the unit will accommodate 10 languages:Sinhala, Tamil, English, German, Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Italian. Tourists through the TIK will be able to gain more information about Sri Lanka by viewing the available video content.

Apart from providing information to tourists, the TIK will also facilitate to earn additional revenue from tourists by way of providing easy access to the products and services listed in the kiosk, he said.