Promo Bureau, spoke in the wheel of promos
View(s):A terror-hit tourism industry fighting hard to pay the salaries of its workers is today faced with the state tourism promotion agency not yet ready to spearhead a PR campaign and recovery plan and a bag of Rs.900 million to go with it. In protest they have asked authorities to cancel all road shows for the rest of the year.
Industry sources pointed out that ever since cabinet approval was obtained in May for the go ahead of the JWT-identified recovery plan and the PR campaign along with Rs.900 million allocated for it, there has been slow progress by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB).
In fact some in the industry claim that internal bickering between the advertising agency and bureau officials has caused a delay in rolling out the much needed campaign in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks.
“It’s a pity,” an industry leader pointed out noting that following cabinet approvals for a JWT recovery plan and the PR campaign no progress seems to get underway.
Another said, “the industry is very disappointed on the lack of progress as it can severely impact winter bookings”.
“As a result people are suffering, the industry is suffering and – we need to be very quick,” one industry spokesman stated.
Moreover, the SLTPB is now eyeing road shows in London, Paris and Berlin which is outside of the JWT plans and this has been scheduled for July.
The industry observed that July is generally a dull month since most travel agents and tour operators were on holiday during this time of year. The industry pointed out that India and China though part of the recovery plan had nothing to do with the JWT recovery plan that received Cabinet approval and pointed out that the industry needed “more publicity and advertising and more journalists to visit Sri Lanka and not just ad hoc campaigns.”
Detailed marketing with advertising on TV channels was required to attract a wider audience, hoteliers and travel agents in Sri Lanka complained.
They noted, “We are protesting and have asked to cancel all road shows for the rest of the year” as the need of the hour is for a proper campaign to get underway planned and scheduled properly.
However, SLTPB Chairman Kishu Gomes speaking with the Business Times on Thursday said that they were involved in formulating the strategy and that they will be signing the agreement with JWT.
In fact he noted the agency was “already on the job” and that they are looking at the current strategies and the current situation and they will be sharing their strategic direction with the authorities.
The proposal from JWT will be presented to the board based on their assessment and feedback which would then be sent to the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) for approval.
Commenting on the delays in initiating the recovery plan, Mr. Gomes explained that the Promotion Bureau was in India for two days and later in China with the aim of winning the confidence of the travel agents and customers.
He noted since April 22 “we went around to the missions, got travel advisories reverted and we have recovered and there will not be anything called recovery”. Mr. Gomes insisted “we have recovered.”
Earlier Sri Lanka was receiving about 1000 tourists per day but from May the industry has been averaging 2500 per day and he noted that according to the industry they are receiving bookings.
But industry sources point out that the tourists coming in are based on bookings already made and new bookings were slow.
Hotels around the country have launched a discount campaign to lure more local travellers who patronise them particularly during the weekends.(SD)