By: Staff Writer
August 12, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka Tourism unveils Rs. 1.6 billion PR and digital campaign to boost visitor numbers It has welcomed 26,889 tourists in the first four days of the month of August, according to the latest data issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
Indians have topped the list, with 3,922 tourist arrivals recorded within the first four days of August, making up 14.6% of the total arrivals.
The United Kingdom claimed the second spot with a record of 3,350 tourist arrivals, corresponding to 12.5% of the total arrivals from August 01 to 04.
A Significant number of tourist arrivals have also been reported from China, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
From January 01 to August 04, Sri Lanka welcomed a total of 1,224,948 tourists, already reaching the halfway point of the country’s tourism sector target of 2.3 million tourist visits this year.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu confirmed that the tenders, amounting to a total of Rs. 1.6 billion have been awarded to rollout the extensive campaign targeting key source markets.
“We have now completed awarding all the tenders for public relations and digital marketing campaigns,” he added.
He acknowledged the delay in implementation and said that the move is seen as a significant step towards boosting the tourism industry, which is recognised as a key sector contributing immensely to the economy.
Gajabahu detailed the allocation of funds: Rs. 600 million for public relations (PR) and Rs. 1 billion for digital campaigns. The budget breakdown for individual markets includes; Rs. 100 million for PR and Rs. 200 million for digital campaigns in the UK, Germany, France and India. For China, the allocation is Rs. 150 million for PR and Rs. 200 million for digital campaign.
He said the move will help in securing maximum amount of reservations for the upcoming winter season that the industry is longing for.
Additionally, he said more funds will be allocated for Scandinavia, the Middle East, Australia, South Korea and Japan as the market-specific approach commences.
“We are adopting a market-specific approach, requiring individual agencies to apply from each market segment,” Gajabahu explained.
The marketing communication roadmap will be executed in a strategic, phased manner, tailored to the booking patterns of key markets.
“A special report detailing the awarding process is expected to be published early next week,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s ambitious goals for the tourism sector include; attracting 2.3 million tourists and generating over $ 4 billion in revenue this year,” he added. Looking further ahead, the country aims to welcome 5 million visitors by 2030, with an impressive target of $ 21.6 billion in earnings. The strategy also focuses on increasing average spending per visitor to $ 4,000, with 2.5 million high-end tourists expected to spend over $ 500 per day.
