SLAITO, THASL hail upcoming promotion plan of Sri Lanka Tourism

In a joint communique, the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) have appreciated the efforts by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to expedite the Digital advertising campaign planned for early 2018 and the Global advertising campaign scheduled for mid of this year.
The promotional plans for Sri Lanka Tourism have been long overdue and the industry has felt the need to fast-track such plans to lend high visibility to the destination.
Overall, arrivals to Sri Lanka have slowed, with only a 3.2% growth in arrivals until end-December 2017. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has felt the downturn during summer 2017 and winter 17/18 due to increased room inventory and aggressive promotions from competing destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the recent promotional work undertaken by the SLTPB has resulted in an increase of 24% in the Dutch market and 7.3% in the U.K. market.
The communique further congratulated the Boards of SLTPB and SLTDA for pushing promotions despite various obstacles and challenges. The cooperation between SLTPB and SLTDA is a major contributor to the effectiveness and speed of the promotions.
Both Associations received support from their respective board nominees who made tireless efforts to voice industry of Rs. 5.3B for calendar year 2018, the highest estimated spends ever in the history of Sri Lanka tourism. This further strengthens the plans and guidelines identified by the Tourism Task Force under the advice of the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs. This has resulted in the action plan passed by the respective board targeting spends in excess.
The Associations have urged board members to continue to support the respective boards of SLTPB and SLTDA and to make the Sri Lanka Tourism a major contributor to the economic development of the country.
The board of SLTPB consists of 11 members of which 3 are nominated by SLAITO and 3 by THASL as per the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005.