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| Sunday, 30 November 2003 |
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Second airport at Wellawaya : Plans to boost tourism A high-powered delegation from the International Tourism Advisory Council met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Tourism Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Tourism Development Rangith Maddumabandara and travel trade personnel at Temple Trees recently. The delegation comprised some of the top names in the Asia Pacific region such as Isao Matsuhashi, Executive Director of the Japanese Tourist Board, Robert Bentlley, Director, Sustainable Tourism Development Associates from Madrid, Berger Backam, CEO, Universal Federation of Travel Associations from Monaco, Sue Biggs, Managing Director, Kuoni, UK (Sri Lanka's biggest inbound tour operator) and Camila Punjabi of the Taj Hotel Group of India. The theme of the meeting was to upgrade and add value to Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which for long had been known as a cheap destination, and which proved to be an obstacle to the promotion of the island as a preferred destination for the high-end traveller. Almost all have agreed on the need for a destination marketing campaign. In this respect, Sri Lanka has much to offer from eco and adventure tourism to heritage and the popular Sun'n Sand packages. Wellness tourism and the Ayurveda experience can entice the Japanese market. The pricing of tour operators was another important point at the meeting. Kuoni, which recognizes Sri Lanka as its third popular destination worldwide, holds the eighth place in terms of revenue, on a package tariff of US$ 650 for 11 nights. According to Kouni, if the tourist daily spend has to increase, we need greater diversity of activities such as shopping. The European traveller is looking more for 'best value' packages than cheap packages. There is a dearth of information on the Colombo experience. If promotional spend is to match the spend per day generated by particular markets, then infrastructure, quality hotels and service are paramount. Vehicle pollution in the city must also be overcome as health and safety is of equal importance for the east-bound Westerner. The delegates also focused on promoting the 'dine out' experience. Development of property specially those bordering the Beira, Galle Face in Colombo and Galle Fort and Bentota can be the starting points, with hawker centres showcasing local and regional dishes. Speciality tea centres in tourist areas to promote Sri Lankan cuisine needs to combine with the reduction in full board prices in hotels and minimising of all inclusive travel packages. Good quality outdoor dining experience with stringent quality standards can drive the tourist spend up, besides popularising local cuisine. They also concentrated on checking urban migration, so that the importance of small business that support tourism particularly in the region was identified as having a multiplier effect on the economy. Regional partnership with Maldives and South India in jointly promoting tourism also got an endorsement. The Colombo Airport expansion and the second airport at Wellawaya along with the Katunayake-Colombo expressway may be crucial in the early run-up to a new outlook on 'Tourism Sri Lanka'. |
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