Web based accommodation guide
Leisure Marketing Services have introduced a web based accommodation
guide on Sri Lanka. This is the first time that a comprehensive web
based guide on Sri Lanka is introduced. A long felt need from a
marketing perspective of the hospitality industry of Sri Lanka has been
fulfilled with the launch of the accommodation guide. The trends in
tourism have changed over the years with many travellers preferring to
search and decide on the places to be visited and where they would like
to stay once a destination has been decided on.
Therefore, a comprehensive accommodation guide will provide the
required information for the travellers. Not only the foreign tourist,
even the domestic traveller will be able to plan his holidays with the
information on the accommodation sector being available on the web.
The comprehensive web based guide, covers hotels, guest houses,
holiday bungalows and all types of accommodation outlets. It will also
provide the opportunity for service and facility providers to showcase
themselves for the benefit of visitors by advertising. Places of
accommodation will be highlighted under different categories and listed
under the respective towns.
All information will be provided on a standard format with a link to
their respective web page. Hotels could publicise their special offers
for the benefit of the browsers, who in turn will be potential
customers.
"I have been involved with the travel trade for a considerable period
of time from a tourism promotion and advertising perspective. The need
to promote the destination and the products at a time when the tourism
industry is not doing well was felt by most hoteliers. Yet they could
not spend much on advertising. Looking at ways of doing it at a low cost
the idea of a web based guide was pursued" said Cholitha Daswatte,
partner of Leisure Marketing Services.
"We have tried to provide the service at a very nominal cost. An
accommodation outlet could recover the cost of their insertion in the
guide by just realising one or two room nights per year. It is more of a
promotional investment that will bring in high returns" said Imasha
Fernando, the other active partner of LMS.
Launched one month ago, LMS plans to capture 80 per cent of the
accommodation providers in Sri Lanka by the end of 2009. "Our aim is to
make this the best web based accommodation guide on Sri Lanka and hope
to improve the contents and format as we go along" said Imasha Fernando.
"We are there to support our clients and will look into all their
needs in relation to web based advertising solutions. If they do not
have their own website we will assist them to develop one at a nominal
cost," said Daswatte.
LMS plans to publicise the website abroad around April this year once
they have covered a fair cross section of the accommodation sector at
least with 125 places for starters. Devinda Fernando said. "In the
leisure sector all could be considered as service providers and facility
providers.
May it be a shop, a hair dresser, Safari Jeep provider, diving
station, a super market they all cater to the needs of the travellers.
By advertising on the specific page in relation to their area they
could capture the attention of the visitor who is planning to visit the
area. Even an art gallery for that matter, they are all a part of the
tourism product of Sri Lanka."
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