Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Rs.85 m tourism promo attracts over five bids

- By Sunimalee Dias

A85 million- rupee worth tourist promotion campaign is on the cards for which more than five bids were being received from local companies and were reviewed last week.

Sri Lanka To u r i s m Promotion Bureau ( SLTPB) Managing Director Sutheash Balasubram­aniam said that they have already floated a bid aimed at stimulatin­g the low season and creating interest among travelers to visit the

The Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), the leading profession­al body for securities, investment, wealth and financial planning profession­als based in the UK, recently relocated to its new office premises in Sri Lanka at 345, R. A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3.

The Sri Lanka office, functions as the institute’s internatio­nal operations centre providing support to all CISI’s internatio­nal operations. CISI Sri Lanka is a fully functionin­g representa­tive office of CISI UK and comprises of all correspond­ing business functions including Business Developmen­t, HR, Customer S u p p o r t , L e a r ning and Developmen­t, Marketing, Finance and IT department­s.

CISI Chairman Sir Alan Yarrow, Chartered FCSI, said “these are high value jobs for highly valued staff; and Sri Lanka’s highly educated, English speaking, service orientated, adaptable workforce has resulted in easy integratio­n of our London-based operating units. We have been able to find sophistica­t- destinatio­n.

The campaign is aimed at attracting travellers from China, India and West Asia during Sri Lanka’s traditiona­l low season, he said.

During the low season months, the industry hopes to attract millennial­s who are new executives and not the backpacker­s; couples with double incomes and no kids called DINK, profession­als and even senior citizens.

The MD noted that the campaign is expected to kick off in early September and go on ed technical skills resulting in a workforce of highly skilled profession­als delivering profession­al qualificat­ions.”

The Sri Lankan office predominan­tly deals with operations for the APAC and West Asia with the call centre servicing members and until the third week of November on a trial basis.

Next year, the Promotion Bureau expects to carry out a more streamline­d campaign for the low season months in April, May, June and again in September, October and November.

Prior to this campaign the airlines and the destinatio­n management companies would be advertisin­g through their own channels with campaigns of their own to attract visitors to the destinatio­n, Mr. Balasubram­aniam said. students throughout the region.

Crystal Martil, Operations Manager and the first ever CISI Sri Lankan staff member, said: “When the institute began its operations in Sri Lanka in 2011, we had only five staff members. Today we have 36 employees.

 ??  ?? (From left) - James Dauris, British High Commission­er to Sri Lanka; Eran Wickramara­tne, State Minister of Finance and Mass Media and Simon Culhane, Chief Executive of CISI at the opening of the relocated office.
(From left) - James Dauris, British High Commission­er to Sri Lanka; Eran Wickramara­tne, State Minister of Finance and Mass Media and Simon Culhane, Chief Executive of CISI at the opening of the relocated office.

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