Sri Lanka attracts more cruise liners
View(s):Sri Lanka will play host to nearly 33 cruise liners this year which are scheduled to call at local ports, a media release stated recently. Considering the growth of the cruise tourism, an important niche segment, Sri Lanka Tourism participated at the Seatrade Cruise Global 2016 with three local operators at the Broward Country Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in USA March 14 to 17. A media release stated that the local cruise industry has since 1980 experienced an average annual passenger growth rate of approximately 7.2 per cent per annum. The most important characteristics of the Cruise Tourism segment is that: they are a “Luxury” form of “Mass Tourism” with high spending capacity and cruisers are not travellers, not mere tourists and well-travelled all over the world, and they like to explore around the world to get more experience, the release said.
Cruises are relatively high spenders, critical influencers and have the potential to improve tourism multipliers through “word of mouth referral marketing, returning for holidays with “top of the mind recall” as well as generating more economic benefits of significance in the local value chain. Seatrade Cruise Global is the cruise industry’s premier global event which brings together every facet of the business including cruise lines, suppliers, travel agents and partners. It is an opportunity to showcase products and services of cruise operations to the cruise industry buyers and decision makers, the release said.