4Hoteliers
SEARCH
ITB 2024 Special Reporting
SHARE THIS PAGE
NEWSLETTERS
CONTACT US
SUBMIT CONTENT
ADVERTISING
Sri Lanka Tourism: moving forward.
Saturday, 10th January 2009
Source : Sri Lanka Tourism.
The National Strategy for Sri Lanka Tourism ventures to place the profile of the country as an Asian tourism icon.

Through 8 objectives addressing the immediate and long term needs, they also cover the operational aspects as well as the four divisions that formulate Sri Lanka Tourism. Apart from the short term plans that will address the immediate issues of the tourism sector, Marketing and Communications, Services and Hospitality, Training and Development, MICE, Domestic Tourism, and a 10 Year Plan have been defined within this context.

An 11 part Strategic Framework which addresses the areas of action has been defined and this Strategic Plan provides a blueprint for how traditional and the not so conventional aspects of tourism will be incorporated to grow into sectors such as nature, culture, and adventure tourism.

A Tourism Strategic Action Group (TSAG) has been formed recently, based on the advice of the Minister of Tourism, Mr Milinda Moragoda, to address the challenges ahead of the local tourism sector. It brings together key stakeholders in the tourism industry, enabling them to take quick decisions.

Commenting on the situation, the Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Mr George Michael said that the global economic crisis is illustrated in the drastic drop of prices in key luxury hotels and the significant reduction of country arrivals in key locations throughout the world. He further added that according to industry experts, the impact of this situation is estimated to last for a long time.

Headed by Mr Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), and Co-Chaired by Mr Ken Balendra - Chairman, Tourism Advisory Committee, the Tourism Strategic Action Group comprises of 13 members including Mr B M U D Basnayake - Addl. Secretary (Development) - Ministry of Tourism, Mr Prema Cooray - Chairman, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Mr Renton de Alwis &; Advisor, Minister of Tourism, Mr Cornel Perera - Chairman, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), Mr. Abbas Esufally - Board Member, SLTDA, Mr Ajith Gunewardena - Deputy Chairman, John Keels Holdings PLC, Mr Siri de Silva - Board member, SLTDA; Board Member, SLITHM, Mr Hiran Cooray - Chairman, Jetwing Hotels Ltd., Mr Ranjan Brito - Deputy Chairman, Aitken Spence, and Mr Chandra Wickramasinghe - Chairman, Connaissance Holdings Ltd., the TSAG will enable the key stakeholders in the tourism industry to take quick decisions.

Mr. Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, said ;the TSAG hopes to centralize the decision-making process, and ease its implementation as opposed to the present structure which is not too flexible. It will explore the opportunities and challenges and define the way forward for Sri Lanka Tourism.

The Tourism Strategic Action Group has discussed key areas of focus, such as promotional campaigns in strategic locations in major receiving countries, examining the possibility of drawing on the resources earmarked from the aid package to be put in place, the availability of airline seats and inbound flights, the issue of travel advisories, the situation about declining service standards, domestic tourism, local transportation, and special train services, and also the dire need for a safety net to rescue the tourism industry.

These new developments in the National Strategy for Sri Lanka Tourism will enable not only the tourism sector, but also the country to move forward;making it the largest foreign exchange earner benefiting the stakeholders of tourism and the people of Sri Lanka.

 Latest News  (Click title to read article)




 Latest Articles  (Click title to read)




 Most Read Articles  (Click title to read)




~ Important Notice ~
Articles appearing on 4Hoteliers contain copyright material. They are meant for your personal use and may not be reproduced or redistributed. While 4Hoteliers makes every effort to ensure accuracy, we can not be held responsible for the content nor the views expressed, which may not necessarily be those of either the original author or 4Hoteliers or its agents.
© Copyright 4Hoteliers 2001-2024 ~ unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved.
You can read more about 4Hoteliers and our company here
Use of this web site is subject to our
terms & conditions of service and privacy policy