Sri Lanka’s tourism authority to facilitate country’s positioning as Asia’s foremost tourism destination
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) have reportedly joined hands to develop a research roadmap to facilitate Sri Lanka’s position as Asia’s foremost tourism destination.
According to reports, the roadmap will pave the way for better understanding of the visitors who come to Sri Lanka and assist the public and private sectors in making evidence-based decisions and investments in tourism.
This is the first time a thorough analysis has been undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the data collection efforts by SLTDA and its usage.
The SLTDA has identified the need for better quality data and research to improve the strategic direction of Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, in line with the goals set in Sri Lanka’s Tourism Strategic Plan, local media reports stated.
“SLTDA’s goal is to identify a diverse range of tourists, tourism services and products that would make Sri Lanka a top tourism destination globally,” Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando has been quoted as saying in the local media. “As the primary agency for the collection, analysis and publishing of tourism related data, our goal is to use this roadmap to upgrade SLTDA’s research capacities and practices to identify opportunities for new investments, promotions and policy,” she has added.
Through support provided by MDF, the flagship private sector development programme for the Australian Government, an international consultancy will work closely with SLTDA to examine current research frameworks and practices and conduct a gap analysis.
A five-year roadmap focused on improving tourism data collection, analysis and usage will be developed based on this research.
The roadmap is expected to identify a series of steps to be implemented over the next five years which would bring the capability of Sri Lanka Tourism to the standards adopted by leading tourism destinations globally.
Australia’s engagement in this study is part of its broader support to the Sri Lankan tourism industry, through MDF, which is funded by the Australian Government and implemented by Palladium, in partnership with Swisscontact.
“By harnessing data and research, decisions on promotion and investments can be based on evidence and the returns on investments and marketing can be tracked and measured, thus offering greater value to the public and private sectors,” MDF Sri Lanka Country Director Momina Saqib has stated.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the country prior to the global Covid 19 lockdown and the industry also shows potential of returning back to normal once global travel restrictions are eased. Sri Lanka has been listed as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications. The island has also been identified as a safe and hygienic travel destinations. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry would definitely return to normalcy as soon as travel restrictions are eased. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry could therefore be recognised as a hot spot for business/investment opportunities.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/13102020/Z_2 |