Sri Lanka aims to promote youth tourism in the island using new cost effective social net work marketing tools.
According to new research from the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSE), 20 % of all international visitors are now aged between 16 and 24. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has drawn up a strategic plan to attract youth travellers in a big way, as the country’s product offer is an ideal match for the expectation of the youth traveller, a senior official of the Tourism Ministry told the Business Times.
Some 15.3% of 447,890 tourists who visited the island last year are youth, he said. Sri Lanka’s strategy will be to reach the target audience through cost effective media in which the Internet will play a key role. Since the youth market’s primary source of information is the Internet the cost of reaching such a target will equally be cost effective, the official said.
New social network marketing tools such as Second Life, Facebook and You-Tube have given the perfect platform for Sri Lanka Tourism to reach this segment interactively, he added. The Sri Lanka Tourism web site will very soon have features which are popular with the youth traveller including price comparison, information on the authentic experience, booking facilities, etc.
According to the strategic marketing plan of Sri Lanka Tourism, a new tourism segment called social tourism is to be popularised where the youth tourists are engaged in various social responsibility programs in the country, he revealed. With the increase in youth tourist arrivals, Sri Lanka would be known as an ideal destination not only for authenticity, bio and cultural diversity and sandy beaches but also for ‘social tourism’, providing ample opportunity to meet the Sri Lankan population and learn about their lifestyle. |
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