Sri Lanka Tourism has yesterday formulated the much awaited and long overdue Tourism Development Marketing Master Plan for the next five years and it would be put forward for Cabinet approval, said Sri Lanka Tourism’s new Chairperson Kimarli Fernando at Connaissance initiated French media team visit at Galle Face hotel yesterday.
She said it would be conducted and executed in stages and the global and digital marketing segments would be likely given out after calling for international tenders. Fernando said that initially Tier I marketing campaign involving major tourism scouring destinations such as Germany, France, UK, UAE, China and India would be launched. “We will then shift to Tie2 countries towards the mid part of 2020.”
She said that the need of a focused marketing campaign was a major void for the local tourism and four successive previous Chairman’s had tried to implement is but failed due to government red tape.
“However this time President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has identified Tourism as a major thrust area for development and this time the marketing campaign would be a reality.” The President has announced a target of attracting 7 million travelers and a revenue of over $ 10 billion from Tourism within the next five years and promotions are needed to meet this goal.
Fernando also thanked the private sector companies like Connaissance and Cinnamon Hotels for going out of their way and doing their own destination marketing promotions for Sri Lanka. “These kind of prorogations should have been done by Sri Lanka Tourism.”
State Minister of Arundika Fernando said on numerous requests made by industry and foreign travel agents that the much talked about SriLankan airlines flight to Frankfurt would be re launched in a couple of months. “This would be operated twice a week and we may even look at a strop over in France and Milan.”
The Minister said that due to national interest, the Ministry is even ready to offer cash incentives for empty seats if the airline says that the route in not profitable. Chairman Salaun Holidays France, Michel Salaun said that they would like to see more promotions from Sri Lanka in France as their nationals are keen to visit Sri Lanka. “We are now fully satisfied with the present security situation,” he added.
He also said that issue of free visa on arrival helps to woo more tourists and it should continue. “It may be a loss to one Department but overall it brings benefits for more.”
Founding Chairman Connaissance-de-Ceylan-Chandra Wickramasinghe said that the French Media group would be in Sri Lanka for one week and the publicity generated though their coverage would be equivalent to around Euro 350 million.
0 comments: