Destination Sri Lanka gets a new name
Sri Lanka will be re-branded! From an island of a “Small miracle” to the “Wonder of Asia” Sri Lanka will be now seeking a new tagline to be decided by an “expert” committee of three members. Not even the minister knows it yet but it is to be out by November.
Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga told the Business Times on Wednesday that it was not his business to work on a new branding.
“That is not my business – it is handed over to the expert committee – and next week I will try to find someone to give you an interview with details,” he said in reference to the global promotion campaign to be launched in November for which the plan itself has not yet been worked out.
He noted that the nation branding would be carried out by the three member committee appointed in this regard namely tea industry veteran Merrill Fernando, advertising expert Ranil De Silva and former Ministry Secretary Esala Weerakoon.
It is learnt that the paper on the global promotion campaign with a new branding would be sent to the Cabinet next week.
The launch in London would be solely to brand Sri Lanka with its new identity and not the campaign itself, it is learnt.
The international bids called would be then given the branding to carry out the campaign, the minister said.
However the details of the plan were yet to be worked out and it had not yet been handed over to the minister even by last Monday.
Minister Amaratunga noted however, that they would be calling for bids most probably next month and attracting visitors of all genres but focusing on the high end travellers.
All destinations were likely to be included in this long-awaited global promotion campaign.
While Malaysia’s brand is “Truly Asia” and India being “Incredible India, the world wonders whether Sri Lanka’s next branding will makes it mark on the global platform.
This launch of this unique branding is scheduled to take place at the annual World Travel Mart in London which is attended by international travel agents and destination promotion companies including state tourism organisations.
This promotion campaign has been planned since the last three months and has mooted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The destination is currently on a promotional drive with the commencement of the CNN campaign that sparked off a series of advertisements and programmes on the global news channel for a three month period.