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"Our hotels are in a bubble of its own and today we have over a 100 Ayurvedic hotels spread across the country, and some of them are certified to deal with Covid. We have seen now that most Europeans are very keen on doing this kind of travelling, so I think that this is the perfect time for us to promote this" Siddhalepa Resorts Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda[/caption]
Sri Lankan inbound tour operators have begun reaching out to new potential international markets and tourism segments as of last week, The Sunday Morning Business learns.
Speaking to us, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) immediate outgoing President Mahen Kariyawasam stated that the local tour operators have begun promoting Sri Lanka to new international markets and segments following a collective press conference held on 4 January by the Sri Lanka Tourism stakeholders. He explained that the tour operators began promoting the country as a destination in the hope that once the airports open, Sri Lanka will be in the top of the tourists' travel list.
"We have already begun reaching out to both old and new markets, and we are also introducing a new set of guidelines in the coming weeks or so for our inbound tour operators to follow to maintain the safety of the country, which is our top priority."
He went on to state that due to the Covid-19 situation in countries like the UK,where the virus has developed into a stronger strain, SLAITO members have been advised to refrain from promoting Sri Lanka to these markets. The UK, however, is one of Sri Lanka's top five markets, as it accounted for 254,176 tourists, which is 10.9% of the tourists arrivals in 2018, making it our third biggest market that year.
According to Kariyawasan, SLAITO members have also begun looking at new markets to focus on more, which include the Eastern European markets and countries like Germany, who have been seen on average to stay longer than 14 days. This falls in line with Sri Lanka Tourism's current pilot programme that launched with the arrival of the 175 Ukrainian tourists on 28 December 2020, which limits the tourists' travel around the country within the first 14 days.
Furthermore, he added that the inbound tour operators will shed more focus on segments such as the “Ayurvedic” segment which is predicted to garner more interest given the current global emphasis on health. During the event, Siddhalepa Resorts Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda agreed with this statement, and said that herbal treatment is now considered as one of the best ways to be immune from the Covid-19 pandemic and hence, there is a great demand from the European tourists to visit Sri Lanka. “This matter was brought even to the notice of foreign ambassadors and to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has been very vocal about promoting this to tourists," Hettigoda noted.
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"We have already begun reaching out to both old and new markets, and we are also introducing a new set of guidelines in the coming weeks or so for our inbound tour operators to follow to maintain the safety of the country, which is our top priority" SLAITO Immediate Past President Mahen Kariyawasam[/caption]
He explained that he was positive that the segment will thrive in the coming months as the whole world is currently on the lookout for natural remedies that would improve one's immune system.
"Today, everyone is focused on boosting their immune systems and that is exactly what our ‘Hela Wedakama’ is known for. We have already served thousands of tourists in the last few years, and all of them have had an extremely positive response to our brand of wellness."
Hettigoda also pointed out that the wellness segment also falls in line with the tourism board's current bubble concept, as tourists who come for Ayurvedic hotels usually stay in those hotels for a minimum of 14 days and rarely have contact with the local communities outside.
“Our hotels are in a bubble of its own and today we have over a 100 Ayurvedic hotels spread across the country, and some of them are certified to deal with Covid. We have seen now that most Europeans are very keen on doing this kind of travelling, so I think that this is the perfect time for us to promote this and show the world the efficacy of one of our biggest heritages."
The first group of Ukrainian tourists landed in the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) as part of the pilot programme conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism to attract visitors, starting with this special flight from Ukraine. Soon, a second group of 204 tourists entered the country on 29 December 2020, a third group of 172 arrived on 2 January, and finally, a fourth group of 97 entered the country on 4 January.
The travel bubble is aimed at isolating the tourists from the general public during the first 14 days of their stay, while also allowing them to visit allocated tourist sites after their seventh day in quarantine. These tourists are given the opportunity to leave the hotels after their seventh day in quarantine to visit selected tourist sites such as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Sigiriya, with the visits being co-ordinated during specific hours of the day when no locals will be allowed into the sites, after which the Ministry of Health will sanitise the entire location before opening them up to the public again. Any locals exposed to the tourists while serving them during their 14-day quarantine will also be quarantined before being allowed to return home.
However since the launch of the pilot programme, Sri Lanka Tourism has come into criticism as several of the tourists tested positive for Covid-19 and Ukraine reported the discovery of five new strains of Covid-19 which may not be detected by the local PCR tests, adding to the concerns of the public. But newly elected SLAITO President Thilak Weerasinghe told the media that this pilot project is expected to generate over Rs. 800 million for the local tourism industry. The Ukrainian tourists are expected to spend about $ 150 per day excluding their other expenses, whilst the average stay is 14 days.
So far, 653 Ukrainian tourists have arrived since the launch of the project, with another eight flights scheduled to arrive until 24 January, carrying an average of 100 to 200 passengers.
"Our hotels are in a bubble of its own and today we have over a 100 Ayurvedic hotels spread across the country, and some of them are certified to deal with Covid. We have seen now that most Europeans are very keen on doing this kind of travelling, so I think that this is the perfect time for us to promote this" Siddhalepa Resorts Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda[/caption]
Sri Lankan inbound tour operators have begun reaching out to new potential international markets and tourism segments as of last week, The Sunday Morning Business learns.
Speaking to us, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) immediate outgoing President Mahen Kariyawasam stated that the local tour operators have begun promoting Sri Lanka to new international markets and segments following a collective press conference held on 4 January by the Sri Lanka Tourism stakeholders. He explained that the tour operators began promoting the country as a destination in the hope that once the airports open, Sri Lanka will be in the top of the tourists' travel list.
"We have already begun reaching out to both old and new markets, and we are also introducing a new set of guidelines in the coming weeks or so for our inbound tour operators to follow to maintain the safety of the country, which is our top priority."
He went on to state that due to the Covid-19 situation in countries like the UK,where the virus has developed into a stronger strain, SLAITO members have been advised to refrain from promoting Sri Lanka to these markets. The UK, however, is one of Sri Lanka's top five markets, as it accounted for 254,176 tourists, which is 10.9% of the tourists arrivals in 2018, making it our third biggest market that year.
According to Kariyawasan, SLAITO members have also begun looking at new markets to focus on more, which include the Eastern European markets and countries like Germany, who have been seen on average to stay longer than 14 days. This falls in line with Sri Lanka Tourism's current pilot programme that launched with the arrival of the 175 Ukrainian tourists on 28 December 2020, which limits the tourists' travel around the country within the first 14 days.
Furthermore, he added that the inbound tour operators will shed more focus on segments such as the “Ayurvedic” segment which is predicted to garner more interest given the current global emphasis on health. During the event, Siddhalepa Resorts Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda agreed with this statement, and said that herbal treatment is now considered as one of the best ways to be immune from the Covid-19 pandemic and hence, there is a great demand from the European tourists to visit Sri Lanka. “This matter was brought even to the notice of foreign ambassadors and to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has been very vocal about promoting this to tourists," Hettigoda noted.
[caption id="attachment_112943" align="alignright" width="367"] "We have already begun reaching out to both old and new markets, and we are also introducing a new set of guidelines in the coming weeks or so for our inbound tour operators to follow to maintain the safety of the country, which is our top priority" SLAITO Immediate Past President Mahen Kariyawasam[/caption]
He explained that he was positive that the segment will thrive in the coming months as the whole world is currently on the lookout for natural remedies that would improve one's immune system.
"Today, everyone is focused on boosting their immune systems and that is exactly what our ‘Hela Wedakama’ is known for. We have already served thousands of tourists in the last few years, and all of them have had an extremely positive response to our brand of wellness."
Hettigoda also pointed out that the wellness segment also falls in line with the tourism board's current bubble concept, as tourists who come for Ayurvedic hotels usually stay in those hotels for a minimum of 14 days and rarely have contact with the local communities outside.
“Our hotels are in a bubble of its own and today we have over a 100 Ayurvedic hotels spread across the country, and some of them are certified to deal with Covid. We have seen now that most Europeans are very keen on doing this kind of travelling, so I think that this is the perfect time for us to promote this and show the world the efficacy of one of our biggest heritages."
The first group of Ukrainian tourists landed in the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) as part of the pilot programme conducted by Sri Lanka Tourism to attract visitors, starting with this special flight from Ukraine. Soon, a second group of 204 tourists entered the country on 29 December 2020, a third group of 172 arrived on 2 January, and finally, a fourth group of 97 entered the country on 4 January.
The travel bubble is aimed at isolating the tourists from the general public during the first 14 days of their stay, while also allowing them to visit allocated tourist sites after their seventh day in quarantine. These tourists are given the opportunity to leave the hotels after their seventh day in quarantine to visit selected tourist sites such as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Sigiriya, with the visits being co-ordinated during specific hours of the day when no locals will be allowed into the sites, after which the Ministry of Health will sanitise the entire location before opening them up to the public again. Any locals exposed to the tourists while serving them during their 14-day quarantine will also be quarantined before being allowed to return home.
However since the launch of the pilot programme, Sri Lanka Tourism has come into criticism as several of the tourists tested positive for Covid-19 and Ukraine reported the discovery of five new strains of Covid-19 which may not be detected by the local PCR tests, adding to the concerns of the public. But newly elected SLAITO President Thilak Weerasinghe told the media that this pilot project is expected to generate over Rs. 800 million for the local tourism industry. The Ukrainian tourists are expected to spend about $ 150 per day excluding their other expenses, whilst the average stay is 14 days.
So far, 653 Ukrainian tourists have arrived since the launch of the project, with another eight flights scheduled to arrive until 24 January, carrying an average of 100 to 200 passengers.