Lanka's leisure industry will bounce back
by Lalin Fernandopulle
|
Chandana de Silva
|
Sri Lanka's leisure industry is going through a critical period due
to the security situation in the country but the industry is hopeful
that peace will be restored and the industry will bounce back, Head of
Corporate Affairs SriLankan Airlines Chandana de Silva told the Sunday
Observer.
He said the security situation is not new to Sri Lanka, the country
is resilient and has always bounced back. Focused promotions, promoting
Meetings Incentives Conventions Exhibitions (MICE) travel, eco-tourism,
adventure and sports travel, building relations with news and travel
media will revive the industry.
The cooperation of all stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality
industry and the media is vital to position the country as a safe and
sought after tourist destination, de Silva said.
He said peace is essential to restore normalcy in the country and for
the tourism industry to recover. In all promotional campaigns it is
important to emphasise that the entire country is not affected by the
war and that there are many areas that are still safe for tourists to
visit.
It is also the responsibility of the government to look into
international concerns such as human rights and assure that steps are
being taken to deal with them, he said.
When peace prevailed tourists visited the country in large numbers as
they were attracted by its beauty, diversity, hospitality, culture,
hotels and resorts. More tourists could be attracted with improvements
to infrastructure such as roads and highways to reduce the tedious
travel time, set up more shopping centres, malls, city attractions and
facilities to promote sports and adventure tourism.
De Silva said SriLankan Airlines in all overseas campaigns promotes
tours to Sri Lanka as a destination and a hub in South Asia with direct
flights from Colombo to several countries in the region and to the Far
East, Middle East and Europe.
The number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka from the Asian region has
been growing steadily over the years. Asian tourists are resilient to
adverse situations and have always shown an interest to visit the
country.
The Indian subcontinent is an untapped market where tourists prefer
the shopping spree, culture, beaches and other attractions.
SriLankan Airlines handles approximately 60 percent - 3.1 million of
the traffic at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).The
passenger movement at the BIA is 4.8 million per year.
[email protected]
|
