Sri Lanka Tourism gets short term promo boost
View(s):Sri Lanka has plans to kick-start a country promotional campaign in three key markets.
Newly appointed Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Managing Director Sutheash Balasubramaniam told the Business Times on the sidelines of a media briefing on Thursday that as a matter of urgency the short-term promotion campaign would take off soon.
Under a project that could be worth a “couple of millionsâ€, the new MD said that this campaign would be kicked off in India, China and Europe.
In this regard the authorities are currently working on the improvement of their online portal to effectively promote destination Sri Lanka.
The campaign would also be carried out on electronic and print media in these sectors, Mr. Balasubramaniam said.
This campaign has been worked out as a result of the long delay in initiating the global promotion campaign that is being planned for the next three years and would be formulated under the Vision 2020, a forward-looking government plan. Currently this document is in the draft stage, he noted.
Meanwhile Tourism Minister John Amaratunga back from the World Travel Mart (WTM) just concluded in London said it was “encouraging†with the Sri Lanka pavilion attracting large numbers.
In fact, the minister pointed out that there were also inquiries for new investments and events like holding an international golf competition and surfing event in Sri Lanka among others.
The minister responding to a query noted that Sri Lanka could “hopefully†achieve the 2.2 million targeted visitor arrivals in 2016 since November and December are considered peak seasons for visitor arrivals to the country.