SLPL boost for tourism next month

• T20 tourney to take up over 7,000 room nights in lean tourism season; bring in over Rs. 130 m revenue for hotels
• Destination Sri Lanka to get a fillip via global TV coverage

The inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), ready to kick off in two weeks’ time, is expected to give a big boost for tourism in its off season taking up over 7,000 rooms as well as giving global coverage to the destination via sports television channels.

The organisers said that seven franchises, along with their respective squads of over 25 individuals each and including their support staff, as well as media personnel, production crews, commentators (international as well as local), event partners and more, are set to occupy in  excess of 7,000 room nights during the period of the SLPL.
“This will provide a significant boost for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry during what is, otherwise, a lean season, and shall also provide the country with additional foreign exchange inflows,” said Sandiip Bhammer, Chairman of Sommerset Entertainment Ventures (SEV), which in partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is organising the SLPL.
“Revenues brought in through just direct accommodation costs are set to be around Rs. 130 million,” he added. This is in addition to the seven franchises sold for slightly over $ 30 million (nearly Rs. 4 billion) for seven years with over Rs. 580 million infusion per year.
SEV has also firmed up TV rights for SLPL coverage of which across cricket playing nations and other enthusiasts will be a further boost for destination marketing of Sri Lanka, which has been lagging despite end of the conflict three years ago.
ESPN-Star Sports (ESS) has signed on with the SLPL as its exclusive Broadcast Partner to televise the matches live in Indian Sub Continent and the Far East. SLPL will also be telecast via ESPN 3 in UK, Caribbean, US as well as ESPNplay.com; and in Canada via ATN. Tie-ups to expand coverage in Sub Saharan, Middle East as well as Australia and New Zealand are being firmed up.

“The partnership with ESPN Sports Star guarantees that the SLPL, partners, stakeholders and brands associated with it will get extensive coverage throughout the biggest cricket market in the world,” Sandiip said, adding, “in that context SLPL will also play a seminal role in further promoting Sri Lanka as a tourist destination.”
SLPL believes that the matches will have, over time, significantly large audiences in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh with a smattering of visitors attending from Australia, New Zealand, England, and Canada which are all countries with relatively larger expatriate Sri Lankan communities (who are expected to follow the tournament very closely).
Sri Lanka Cricket also believes SLPL will be an appropriate platform to promote Sri Lanka as a culturally rich country with a number of diverse tourist destinations.
“With the SLPL becoming a permanent fixture on the international cricket calendar, we believe that it will grow to make Sri Lanka a tourism attraction and also, a value addition for those visiting the country during this time. Cricket has consistently been the lifeblood of our country and it’s time that it is attached to brand Sri Lanka in order to further promote the country as a destination. We believe that the SLPL is just a first step in this long-term process,” President Upali Dharmadasa said.
SLPL aims at being Sri Lanka’s most prestigious, annually-held, domestic Twenty20 cricket competition featuring the best and upcoming local cricketing talent playing alongside national cricketers as well as some of the world’s biggest Twenty20 cricket stars.
SLPL also gives Sri Lanka the opportunity to hone skills of young talent further and get a first-hand experience of the various demands and challenges faced within competitive international cricket even without having had the opportunity to play for Sri Lanka on a national level.
“In this manner, the tournament shall give Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Cricket, an opportunity to build an enviable ‘bench-strength’ of young cricketers with specialised skill-sets. It is expected that a tournament of this stature shall promote Sri Lanka further in terms of its recognition as one of the world’s leading cricketing nations (given that the tournament shall be broadcasted and therefore, viewed globally),” Sandiip added.
Also, for the first time within the domestic circuit, all cricketers (and, in particular, non-national and U-21 players) that are participating in the tournament, will receive a significant annual payment, which shall go a very long way in making the league commercially attractive for the players that are participating.
The inaugural season of the SLPL will be played from 11 to 31 August (both dates inclusive) at the iconic R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo and the picturesque Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
SLC has decided to take a ‘Provincial’ as opposed to ‘City-based’ Franchise approach to team formation and related sale to interested buyers. Each Provincial team/Franchise will comprise of a squad of 18 players, of which 12 players will be Sri Lankan players (of which at least two players will be Under-21 Sri Lankan players) and the remaining six players shall all be overseas players.
The seven provincial team Captains are Basnahira Cricket Dundees – T. M. Dilshan, Kandurata Warriors – Kumar Sangakkara, Nagenahira Nagas – Angelo Mathews, Ruhuna Royals – Lasith Malinga, Uthura Rudras – Jehan Mubarak, Wayamba United – Mahela Jayawardene and Uva Next – to be confirmed. Except that of Uthura Rudras, the Captains are also icon players whilst Muttiah Muralitharan and T20 sensation Chris Gayle are the icon players of Uthur and Uva.
Tickets for SLPL will go on sale from 5 August whilst organisers have promised a carnival-like atmosphere during the matches.