The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) market constitutes 15% to 20% of tourists to Sri Lanka. However, the MICE tourists' contribution is merely 10% of foreign exchange the country earns from tourism. That is because such visitors typically spend less time in the country (under four days) than a package tourist does.
Of the nine million Indians expected to travel out next year, 800,000 will be on MICE. Sri Lanka is well connected to India and - with even more airlines joining the fray - is ideally poised to tap that opportunity. To promote our country as a destination, Cooray will be accompanying a delegation of 25-30 tourism leaders to India.
These leaders will interact with at least 100 of India's leading companies at road-shows planned in Bangalore and Hyderabad (September 6th to 11th). The promotion intends to tap the abundant affluence in these software centres and grab a bigger byte of the conference business. These road-shows will be followed by similar ones in Chennai during October, and Mumbai and New Delhi later this year. Cocktails and presentations on Sri Lankan tourism will certainly feature on the menu.
Lately, Indian companies have been riding the crest of an economic wave and have the resources to take their employees to foreign destinations. Value for money is very relevant for them, and Sri Lankan hotels offer very competitive pricing. Indians who have visited Sri Lanka marvel at its diversity, describing it as "God's Own Country", an epithet popularised by Kerala Tourism to describe that South Indian state.
Dr D A C Silva, Senior lecturer at the University of Colombo, explained Community Tourism: "Traditional tourism focuses on tourism and hopes that spin-off benefits will trickle down to the community," he said. "But this recent trend promotes community welfare through tourism."
Today's tourist is an anthropologist who explores cultures, attitudes and lifestyles - to expand his awareness. This typically European eco-tourist is also curious about how his money is helping people. Palitha Gurusinghe, Chairman, Sri Lanka EcoTours, provided the sad example of the Udawalawe National Park, which tourists pay US$ 25 to enter, but the people there live below the poverty line.
Describing the promotion of Sri Lanka as "a real nightmare", Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, CEO - Jetwing EcoHolidays, narrated how a documentary film crew was obstructed by the Galle Fort Heritage Committee because their permit from the Sri Lanka Tourist Board was inadequate. By doing so, they were blocking international coverage potentially worth US$ 50 million in terms of telecast time on Discovery or National Geographic.
"If you want to film monkeys in Polonnaruwa," Wijeyeratne went on, "you need to liaise with the central Cultural Fund, the Department of Archaeology and the Forest Department, besides keeping the local temple priests happy." Acknowledging this narrow-mindedness, George Michael, Additional Secretary, Tourism Ministry, promised a 'one-stop-shop' that will issue such permits in future.
3 comments:
This article need to be sent to all those bureaucrats in sri lanka
Typical. This laziness+pride (not the war) is the main reason that sri lanka is currently stale.
Just a couple of days ago, we went to a village in *censored* and helped the Govi Samithi to encourage tissue cultured banana growth by taking them all the way to see a farm and lab in Hambanthota.
After we left, the officials were terrified at the idea, and had scolded the farmers severely for not informing them properly.
I think bureaucracy is a favorite pass time of our culture.
Poojitha - It was published in the Sunday Times... but expecting a bureaucrat to pay attention is like expecting a pig to fly!
R - Activating the right NGOs might be better idea than expecting the government to promote a radical idea...
As for the war, that's another case of pride in action, isn't it? And why stop the war if the weaponry suppliers are prompt about paying commissions?
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