Sri Lanka focuses on wooing Indian tourists with new initiatives
The Morning: Aiming to cash on growing outbound Indian tourists, Sri Lanka and Australia have launched new initiatives to cash in on this.
SriLankan Airlines has launched a unique package for Indian tourists- the “Ramayana Trail” that includes 50 significant locations in the country which is associated with the Hindu epic.
These include Seeta Amman Temple, where Mata Sita is said to have prayed during her captivity, to Rumassala hill, where a piece of the Himalayas is believed to have landed, dropped by Hanuman.
Launching the trail officially over the weekend in Delhi, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner said, “The Ramayan is not merely a story, it is a tapestry encapsulating culture, spirituality, and heritage. It has been a source of inspiration and guidance, fostering a connection between India and Sri Lanka. SriLankan Airlines is not only offering the opportunity to discover significant locations.”
SriLankan Airlines is the country’s national carrier, and the initiative comes at a time when India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was extended to the country, which enhances digital financial connectivity.
It not only facilitates cross-border transactions and digital connectivity but also helps the Indian tourists travelling to the country.
SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Richard Nuttall said: “Our Gurus came with this wonderful idea, that it was time for the Ramayana trail. We are really proud to promote this concept, bring the trail to India. We hope this will take tourism from India to Sri Lanka to a new level.”
Indians were the largest group of foreign tourists to travel to Sri Lanka in October. With a share of 26.8%, around 36,000 Indians travelled to the country also known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”.
The next largest number of tourists was from Russia, at just 7.6% share.
From 1-20 November, 26,700 Indian tourists travelled to the country, according to Sri Lankan government data.
OSL take:
Indian tourists are among the top tourists to visit Sri Lanka while the country is recording a steady growth in the country’s tourism industry. It is this reason that has resulted in the country’s tourism authorities as well as the national carrier to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination covering several tourism concepts that include leisure, arts and culture as well as historical ties. The increasing number of tourists to the country, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has presented many business/investment opportunities including a host of new opportunities that cover the many tourism concepts being promoted by the country. Given the steady growth in the tourism industry, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the many business/investment opportunities emerging in the industry that guarantees quick returns on investment (RoIs). Foreign businesses could also look at forming collaborations with local businesses with the aim of further expansion of operations to meet the increasing demand.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20241202/Z_3 |