Travel

Many promotional activities scheduled for Sri Lanka tourism

Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, in an interview with the Sunday Observer Business discussed the development activities planned for the tourism sector, in the new year. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: As (you take on) the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), what would be your priorities for the industry?

A: The first priority in terms of Sri Lanka Tourism is to come up with a safety net to help the industry to withstand the adverse effects of the global financial crisis. Many countries have been affected due to the crisis, and the gravity of the situation will be evident in 2009 and beyond that too.

I have met with Presidents of Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Tourist Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), and Association of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs in Tourism (ASMET). I have had several meetings with them. Having listened to their side of the story, we have requested them to come up with specific proposals, which they have done. The issues they have raised, in terms of financial, security concerns, will be taken up with the Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Port and Aviation, and other relevant organisations, to see how feasible the proposals are from the point of view of those institutions and organisations.

During the latter part of October 2008, Presidents of these associations met with the President and presented their case, who gave them a good hearing. The next step is to see how to follow up on specific issues they had raised with the President.

When the Minister of Tourism realised that all is not well with the industry, he appointed a committee called 'Tourism Strategic Action Group', under my chairmanship, with a mandate that it should come up with solutions to the key concerns on a priority basis. The committee consists of representatives of the industry, heads of tourism associations and officials of Sri Lanka Tourism. The committee met twice, on 8th and 15th December, and decided on a course of action, which is being followed by us. There has been a rapid reaction on the part of the Minister of Tourism, to address the problems faced by the industry.

The important point is SLTPB's response to the evolving situation. The Bureau consulted the industry and other stakeholders in November 2008 and decided, among other things, to focus promotional activities on UK, France, Germany, Russia, and India. They will also have some promotions in Japan and China. In the case of Japan, it will be through a program associated with the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The next priority is to focus on domestic tourism. As foreign tourist arrivals decline, the industry will have to rely on domestic tourism. The Narambamu Sri Lanka Program is one facet of that. This program is designed to introduce important locations to domestic tourists. To support that program, there was a media campaign, which promoted locations in the Southern Province. Similarly, other provinces will also receive the attention of this program.

There are many interesting places in Sri Lanka, which are little known to the public, awaiting to be discovered. The Authority will do what it can, to provide facilities in such places.

Infrastructure development is also a priority, we have several properties in Nuwara Eliya, Bandarawela, Anuradhapura, Kataragama and Bentota where facilities have been fully refurbished. The Kataragama property is partially refurbished and will be completed with modern facilities such as air conditioning. The Anuradhapura property is in bad shape. From time to time, we have received complaints about the deteriorated condition there. We need capital to refurbish these properties but do not have sufficient resources to carry out full scale refurbishment.

Our principle is to provide the average domestic tourist with clean and wholesome facilities, particularly for those who cannot afford to stay in star class hotels.

Q: What are the short term activities undertaken to promote the industry?

A: We have held discussions with, for example, SriLankan Airlines to see how to promote Sri Lanka as a destination, as a short term measure to support the current winter season.

The second area to focus on is promotional activities. The Bureau has come up with a plan for that as well. The idea is to retain our market share, in the current difficult situation in the first place, and then to develop new markets.

The Minister of Tourism visited Gujarat in India recently, and had discussions with the authorities there to promote tourism. The Bureau will focus on several identified States in India, with the potential to send tourists, rather than spreading ourselves thin by trying to go all over the country.

Q: How does the SLTDA and the SLTPB work together? Are they parts of the same entity or totally different in outlook? Finally, what are your plans for the new year and beyond, in terms of the four organisations coming under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism?

A: The Authority and the Bureau were originally one entity, known as the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, in keeping with Act No. 10 of 1966. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board was split into two, in October 2008, one focusing on development and classification and the other on promotional activities. They serve the same purpose, and one cannot succeed without the other.

In early 2009, the project office of Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Development Project will begin its work, which will focus on developing 14 islands on an extent of 4,000 acres. It will be an integrated tourism development project. We have not undertaken anything of this magnitude since the 1960s when Bentota was developed. Similarly, we will have another project at Dedduwa in Bentota. Another plan for the next year is to work with the World Bank for sustainable development of tourism, for which 20 million dollars will be available. Right now, work has commenced on the World Bank project. Similarly, the Government is also in the process of finalising the agreement with the European Investment Bank, which has a 10 million Euro facility, part of which can be used by the tourism industry. According to the Department of External Resources and the DFCC, which will manage the resources under this facility, documentation will be made available to the Sri Lankan Government for signature, by the European Investment Bank (EIB), shortly.

Q: What do you think of the present crisis situation worldwide and how it affects our country? How can we set out to promote the tourism industry within its confines?

A: An important factor is that the world is undergoing rapid globalisation. So anything happening in one corner of the world, will impact positively or negatively in other parts of the world. For example, 9/11 occurred in the USA but had an adverse impact, worldwide. On the other hand, take our major export markets - such as the USA, EU, and several other developed countries. When these countries are adversely affected as a result of the financial crisis, our country will also be affected, as they cannot buy, as they did before. They will be more concerned about food on their tables and paying mortgages. Those will be their priorities. Money that would have gone for purchasing of our apparel and porcelainware would now go for these priorities.

Growth projections in terms of international tourism for 2009, was 6 per cent. This year, tourist receiving countries will be happy if they can achieve 2 per cent growth. And next year's growth will not be any better. So, in a bleak situation like this, it is inevitable for the tourism sector to suffer. But what is important is to learn how to float without sinking.

We will have to ride this wave - what we can call an economic tsunami, and prepare ourselves for better days.

Two things need to be done. The first is to carry out a sustained campaign of promotion, which the Bureau is doing. And the other is, to improve our product, rather than allow it to deteriorate. There is yet another factor, how do we intervene positively to help the industry in a crisis situation of this nature. The apparel and tea industries are in dire straits. Recently the cinnamon cultivators demonstrated, saying that they couldn't market their product. The Government will increasingly find it difficult to rescue industries facing such situations. Realising this, I have discussed with the senior management of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, who came up with the proposal to establish a fund, which will have approximately Rs. 400 million over a period of 5 years. Such a fund can be used to carry out rescue operations in different situations. Such an arrangement will also enable the industry to accept that the Authority, which is collecting a Tourism Development Levy is setting aside part of the income for the benefit of the industry.

Q: On a personal capacity, what is the role of the citizens of Sri Lanka in promoting tourism - esp. domestic tourism?

A: Sri Lanka is a unique country and the lifetime of an individual is not enough to sample what the country has to offer. In other words, Sri Lanka is like an iceberg. We see only the tip of the iceberg. The greater part is yet to be discovered. So, with the purpose of involving Sri Lankans in sampling what the country has to offer, we came up with the Narambamu Sri Lanka concept, which will highlight places of interest in the country.

With this program, we are not only providing information on places of interest in various provinces, but also information on accommodation in those places, which will enable hoteliers to offer specific packages to domestic tourists. The Sri Lankan tourist can make use of this opportunity to discover the country, where the whole family can enjoy what the country has to offer from a tourist's point of view.

We all know about Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya, but there are lesser known places such as Ritigala, Maligawila, Sesseruwa, Awukana, Buduruwagala and Kushtarajagala, numerous wild life parks, camping sites, areas for trekking, bird watching, white water rafting and hot air ballooning.

There are tour operators that provide guided tours. Transportation is a problem for a majority of Sri Lankans. Here, those who do not have such facilities can tie up with hotels to come up with a solution. If you plan a tour - a short one - such tours can cover areas like Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, and Panduwasnuwara. These sites are not too far away from Colombo.

Q: The tourism industry has struck a fine balance between public sector initiatives and private sector interests. How do you manage this situation?

A: Collectively the SLTDA and the SLTPB are unique institutions, where public and private sector participation is at its maximum. This is a priority area from the point of view of the Minister of Tourism. Consequently, all four institutions coming under the Ministry of Tourism, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLTHM) and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), have public sector as well as private sector participation in their boards of management. So, as a result, any critical decision affecting the interests of the industry is taken with private sector participation.

In conclusion Mr Goonetilleke said that Sri Lanka Tourism, from the Ministry of Tourism downward to the senior management, are aware of the collapse faced by the industry as a result of the financial crisis. He assured that in consultation with the Ministry, the Tourism Development Bureau and the Tourism Development Authority are taking action to make representations to the authorities concerned with a view to assure and help thousands of workers attached to the tourism industry.