My Game Plan for Sri Lanka's Tourism

Tourism is my passion and my first love in terms of industries. Since the end of this civil war, we have had so many global investments, travel agencies, and guides entering this industry. I am here to provide you a vision and plan as I see it for the future of tourism which can be implemented (some pointers).

My suggestion for improvements, remove all the Forms and using Google Forms. We are more tech-savvy than that as a nation.

I shall guide step by step how it can be improved, using ONLY the immigration site

? Use the existing immigration visa site

? Client applies for Visa, gets a reference.

? Using the Visa reference, agents have a backend portal where they fill in client details confirming this is their client.

? Using the Visa reference, the Tourist Board (assign people specific market-wise) approves agent details.

? Using the Visa reference, the immigration officer confirms the visa once the tourist board official approves the workflow chain.

? Once Visa is approved, the travel agent fills in a detailed summary of places visited, driver details, and so on using the same Visa reference number.

? Before clients arrive using the same Visa reference number, they fill in an online declaration to reconfirm their arrival and details, this is to be done 24 hours before arrival.

That Singular Visa Reference number can be used to track each step by client, travel agent, tourist board, and immigration.

The entire process can be handed over to a company in Sri Lanka that can develop this overnight.

My process might be flawed, but it will improve workflow structure, there shall be one reference to identify the entire process and tracking of a booking.

This is how you improve tourism in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Tourism Board and so many in the trade, why don't we like Non-EU markets? Do we realize, last-minute travel markets are what Sri Lanka needs for Travel as of now? (example South Asia and the Middle East)

Immediate markets to contact are entire South Asia and Middle Eastern markets for promotion.

Russian market is already contributing, time we catch the rest of the last minute markets actively.

Remember we are a the TROPICS an all year round destination.

My Vision :

First, it should be briefed to the hoteliers & travel agents that it is not their product that should be marketed but Sri Lanka as a destination, simple logic should be shown the first step should be convincing a traveler to come to Sri Lanka then the rest of the thought process of travel agent and hotels shall follow.

Second, hotels in a singular area, for example, Ella or Ratnapura should take initiation along with the Tourist Board to promote the city. Sri Lanka does not exist in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, and Nuwaraeliya other cities should be promoted too; including why they should travel to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is not a cheap destination, never should be marketed as one. Sri Lankan hoteliers, agents, and the tourist board should be encouraged to sell the experiences of Sri Lanka more neatly and more professionally. Sri Lanka is not only a country for Kandy temple, Sigiriya and to be guided to a tea plantation. Sri Lanka is thriving with rich culture and biodiversity.

Ayurveda, meditation, spas, and the wellness holiday theme are greatly marketed around the world; we should take the initiation for all who graduate as an Ayurvedic Doctor should be recruited to the hospitality trade to shape this new trend in the world.

If you have noticed yoga is a growing trend in Sri Lanka, yet it is mainly not done nor taught by Sri Lankans. Hence, to promote this among Sri Lankan youth they should be shown that there are many career paths within this trade to be learned and earned from.

We should learn to market Sri Lanka to Michelin Chefs to showcase their meals, we should put an initiative to help bring down marine biologists from all over the world, we are not only famous for monkeys let the world see we have more animals, invite zoologists to come and write about us, let historians come and see our culture and make documentaries.

Make the national parks, museums and historical sites more important than "here is a famous rock, see this rock".

Make it more organized everywhere in the world. It is not about pointing at a historic icon and saying why it is open. All these locations, museums, castles, and everything should be interactive with the clients where they engage with the culture and participate in depicting this great tale of Sri Lanka that they are experiencing.

Encourage companies as we have in tea factory tours, for other industries too like graphite and research and development department of global companies in Sri Lanka.

I am stressing this time we break the barrier and bring tourism over the top.

The world seems to be talking about us, but we don’t seem to be. What was the last time a hotel promoted Sri Lanka and not the Jacuzzi in their room, what was the last time an agent educated new markets about Sri Lanka but was not told how they can undercut their competitor by five dollars?

Sri Lanka pricing should maintain a standard that is worth it. We should improve our service along with it, train staff in the Tourist Board, Hotel School and Hoteliers from outsiders. I have seen the skill of Sri Lankans in the hospitality trade in other countries because they are motivated, engaged, and trained to push the envelope to grow themselves in the trade. Let them see the world, what new things are out there and how we can incorporate them into our cycle of things.

These are tiny ideas we should extrapolate on. We have a great opportunity, where Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor, and every other article is featured. We should now create a return on investment.

I can suggest companies that can assist this goal is too many too, from revolutionary travel agents to guides who are the face and representation of every guest arriving, to creatives who can build the story of Sri Lanka and its history creatively yet accurately and to the entirety of the Tech Industry who can help tourism be digitized (less frustrating) to modern work and presentational sphere.

This is my vision, the immediate changes, and the long-term game plan for Sri Lanka in terms of tourism.

Cheers!

LISWITH