Sri Lanka continues to gear for post Covid 19 economic revival strengthening tourism sector SMEs
Sri Lanka is looking at assisting the development of the country’s economy with special focus on the country’s tourism industry. It is in this backdrop that the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance has recently announced that it had launched a programme to help transform the offering of the small and medium sector by offering scholarships with a US-based partner.
According to reports, three scholarships have been awarded under the ‘Transformational Travel Designer Programme’ in partnership with US-based Transformational Travel Council.
“The Tourism Alliance has taken time to think about how best we can support the SME sector,” Malik Fernando, Co-Chair, Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance has been quoted as saying.
“We understand the importance of building the knowledge and experience required to deliver quality visitor experiences throughout Sri Lanka. This is why we partnered with the Transformation Travel Council to provide this great opportunity to the SME sector.”
The Tourism Alliance has further noted that it was initially planning to offer one US$ 2000 scholarship, but three were given due to demand.
Chandika Jayaratne, is one of the scholarship recipients and is part of the team at Vayu Mannar, a kite surfing company. The scholarship is expected to provide better insights into the market and enhance their product.
Another recipient, Andrea Goonesekera at ‘The Fabulous Getaway’ which offers personalized itineraries is hopeful of using the opportunity to use the programme in the post-Covid period.
Dilsiri Welikala is the third recipient and co-founder and owner of Kitesurfing Lanka, which is one of the first kiting companies in the country.
“We hope the three participants will be able to take away skills, tools, and connections to bring Transformational Travel to the forefront of Sri Lanka’s tourism structure,” Fernando has added.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the country. The listing of Sri Lanka as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications have resulted in the island receiving much attention among foreign travellers. Also, in the Covid 19 environment, Sri Lanka has been awarded the safety and hygiene stamp increasing Sri Lanka’s attraction as a travel destination. The business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry have been on the increase and shows signs of continuing in the same vein. Sri Lanka’s tourism SME sector has become a hotspot for investment opportunities given the evolving landscape of global tourism. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore business opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, especially in the SME sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/21082020/Z_2 |