Sri Lanka launches new destination brand “So Sri Lanka” at WTM London
Sri Lanka on Monday finally, after years of being in the wo rk s , launched the much-awaited global campaign initially with the new brand “So Sri Lanka," at the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London.
Present at the launch, new Tourism Minister Wasantha Senanayake explained that the new brand encapsulates the essence of Sri Lanka, its authenticity, diversity and all of its richness is an expression that sums up the travels and tales of a Sri Lankan experience.
“So Sri Lanka,” he said, goes beyond being a place descriptor and embodies the vibrant qualities that inspire “us about our travels” and tales from the island nation.
“We envisage that tourism will flourish to be the most significant sector contributing to our economy - that’s the goal we aspire to reach in the next few years,” he said, according to a media release issued in Colombo by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB).
The release said that in the last decade, Sri Lanka has seen a steady growth in arrivals and investments. Based on qualitative research findings on inbound tourists for the last three years, the most endearing feature of Sri Lanka as a destination brand is its authenticity. “This authenticity is an attribute that is alive in the country's heritage, cuisine, landscape, architecture, culture and mostly in its people. Recently, Lonely Planet ranked Sri Lanka as top destination to travel in 2019 based on its diverse and authentic offerings,” it said.
The resulting brand “So Sri Lanka” is laser focused on elevating Sri Lanka’s destination brand to include all its diverse offerings and unique attributes. Ms Alyna Hajji Omar, CEO, J. Walter Thompson, which developed the brand, explained, “The objective of the brand ‘So Sri Lanka’ is to inspire us to proudly own our finer qualities while at the same time be open enough to continuously work on improvements. We have moved away from investing in a passive identity and we are seeking a dialogue with our socially active millennial travellers.”
The logo is easily recognisable with its artisanal circular representation. It is a logo that comes alive in marketing material effortlessly. In the coming months, a new marketing campaign will be launched based on the new identity, which will give us a taste of the depth, and versatility of the new brand platform.
The new destination brand also saw the culmination of many ideas from sev- eral key industry stakeholders in the private sector who infused their thinking and recommendations to create a new brand identity.
A delegation consisting of 60 industry partners joined Sri Lanka Tourism to highlight Sri Lanka as a world class tourism hotspot, with a variety of numerous travel and hospitality products, including the world famous Ceylon tea.