Sri Lanka should set arrival targets for each tourism source market: expert

Sri Lanka needs to have targets for each of its source markets in terms of aspired tourist arrivals, according to a regional tourism expert.

“If Sri Lanka say, has a capacity for 5 million tourists, how many should come from source markets like India, China and the neighbourhood? How many need to come from Europe?” Cox and Kings India Relationships and Supplier Management Head Karan Anand suggested at the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit.

He said that each market requires different strategies to face unique threats and opportunities, but stressed that Sri Lanka must focus on India and China.

“If you have a good sustainable plan, Sri Lanka will not lose out to any other destination,” he added. Many industry stakeholders have been saying that Sri Lanka is an expensive destination compared to alternatives such as Thailand.

According to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka should attract the Western tourists who tend to spend more, and count Indians and Chinese as welcome extras, in order to keep Sri Lanka as a higher-end destination.

However, experts speaking at the summit said that Westerners are becoming the spirituality and authenticity seeking budget tourists while Indians and Chinese are becoming the high spenders due to their economic growth.

Hotel operators in Negombo such as Jetwing have seen a massive influx of high spending Indians for MICE travel and weddings.

Even though the World Tourism Organization has listed Chinese as the highest spending tourists in the world, local players have witnessed only lowspending Chinese. High-spending Chinese have preferred the Maldives over Sri Lanka in the past, possibly due to inadequate marketing.

As the Maldives is now perceived as a once in a lifetime trip with limited activities beside sun, sea and sand, this presents diverse Sri Lanka with an opportunity. Veteran Hospitality Consultant Srilal Miththapala told Mirror Business that the private sector too should lead the charge.

“Well off establishments can choose what clients they want,” he said. Sri Lanka’s leisure sector leader John Keells Holdings has recognised the opportunities from India and China and is starting to shift business strategies to cater to their high-end segments. How well the government will strategize for each source country remains to be seen. The new government is still following the past regime’s 2020 Tourism master plan, conceived without wide stakeholder engagement.