CNN campaign in mid-Feb.

Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga has been able to convince his cabinet colleagues, overriding tourism industry opinion, to go ahead with a CNN advertising campaign in mid-February.

Despite continued protests by the industry stating that a media advertising campaign was not the best option, Mr. Amaratunga has bypassed the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) board to obtain cabinet approval to advertise with CNN for a period of about four months.

The “industry talks nonsense,” the minister told the Business Times responding to the opposition the tourism industry had made regarding the media blitz.

The minister said, “We can bypass the board and go straight to cabinet” and insisted that this had been practiced several times in the past as well.

The recently-held Choir Games also received approval from the Cabinet by adopting a similar procedure, he stated.

The minister pointed out that the campaign would get board approval for its content and they would also look at advertising with India Weekly, Al Jazeera, BBC and CCTV.

The industry believes that advertising with these channels would not target the relevant audience.

Mr. Amaratunga said that the digital marketing campaign is set to get off the ground by April this year and is believed to be on time.

All new appointments for the positions of Director General at the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau made vacant with the stepping down of Malraj Kiriella and the sacking of Udaya Nanayakkara, respectively would be made once the local government election concludes, the minister said.