SLTB to change promotional thrust

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) tourism and affiliated bodies are changing the promotional thrust in promoting the country, according to Renton de Alwis the SLTB Chairman.

He told The Sunday Times FT that the inbound tourist arrival patterns are changing for the better for this winter season.

“Things are not as bad as we project them to be. We are changing our promotional thrust with a special focus on high net worth tourists. We are using the Internet to reach out to them,” he said. He said the new bodies that have been established with the incorporation of the new Tourism Act will make the private sector very strong in the promotional activities. “They will be directly involved in carving out the industry. Also there will be an A to Z private sector involvement, which gives us the ability to plan ahead. We also have a fund which we can use for these activities without having to depend on the Treasury,” he explained.

As a result of this the SLTB together with the Tourism Ministry launched the World Spice Festival on Thursday. It is expected to go on till next Sunday.