•  Expresses concerns over possible merging of key tourism bodies
• Fears private sector industry players getting sidelined in decision making
• Stresses need to consult industry before any amendments to Act

The country’s inbound tour operators yesterday expressed concerns over the government’s move to amend the Tourism Act, which would eventually lead to the private sector players having no involvement in influencing or taking part in the industry decision making process.

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) said the budget proposal to merge Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB) and Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), could lead to private sector players losing representation at the boards of these four institutions as they currently do.  

Speaking to Mirror Business, SLAITO Immediate Past Chairman Mahen Kariyawasan said the industry was surprised to hear about a proposed amendment to the Tourism Act in the 2021 budget speech that was presented in Parliament last week.

“We were hearing it for the first time. We were not consulted nor informed of such a proposal. We will assist the government in its decision as we always have, but for that we wish to be consulted since we do contribute 1 percent of our turnover to the Tourism Development Levy. We must have a say,” Kariyawasan stressed. He stressed that even if the government decides to go ahead with the proposed amendment, it is imperative to do so only after a discussion with the apex bodies and stakeholders of the industry.

In a statement to the media yesterday, SLAITO asserted there is no necessity to change the current Tourism Act. If a change is necessary to the current structure, the Association proposes to merge the SLTDA and SLITHM as one body. The merged institution could function as a regulatory body under one chairman to handle policy, development, and training.

It also suggested the merging of SLTPB and SLCB to handle marketing and promotional strategies, if necessary. 
SLAITO pointed out that the current Tourism Act eased the burden on the government on promotional expenditure as the funds collected as Tourism Development Levy (TDL) was used for the purpose of promoting the destination effectively to achieve government’s revenue targets.  

In 2015, with the change of government, a Tourism Task Force was appointed and reported directly to the Prime Minister. According to SLAITO, the task force was not successful in tourism development, promotion or branding of the destination.  

“Overall, they failed to take the tourism industry forward as the Task Force comprised of members who did not have the in-depth knowledge on tourism neither did they represent the apex bodies,” SLAITO said. SLAITO, The Hotels’ Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and Travel Agents’ Association of Sri Lank (TAASL), as the three main associations representing the hoteliers, inbound tour operators and outbound travel companies were identified as the three apex bodies by the Tourism Act of 2005.

The four institutions—SLTDA, SLTPB, SLCB and SLITHM—were set up under the Tourism Act to handle different aspects such as policy, regulation, marketing and training.  

The boards of these institutions comprise of government officials and private sector professionals nominated by the respective apex bodies.

Sri Lanka Tourism says ‘Couch Safari’ a resounding success

Following the success of the largest online marketing initiative of Sri Lanka Tourism in 2020, ‘Couch Safari,’ plans are afoot to extend the programme to provide an expanded view of the country’s wildlife.

“We hope to extend this programme to other national parks and tourism segments as well in the future.

This was a great example of achieving success through teamwork, with the best interest of the country at heart,” said Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando yesterday. She added that the event provided the tourism sector with some “great insight” on the importance of Sri Lanka’s natural environment and that wildlife can be integrated to generate tourism income for the country.

‘Couch Safari’ is the first-ever initiative carried out by Sri Lanka Tourism to bring the island’s wildlife under fresh spotlight.

The programme live streamed wildlife sessions covering four popular national parks of Sri Lanka; Kaudulla, Minneriya, Udawalawe and Yala, from November 4 to 13.

Joining on board were Centre for Conservation & Research Sri Lanka (CCR) Chairman Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando, Award winning Wildlife Photographer Chitral Jayatileka, Wildlife Expert Srilal Miththapala, and Wildlife Biologist Vimukthi Weeratunge, who shared their expertise as they explored the wilderness to capture footage of the majestic wild beasts of Sri Lanka in their natural habitats. The programme was featured on Apple TV, Roku TV, Periscope and Boxcast channels, and on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sri Lanka Tourism shared that as of yesterday (November 23), the campaign generated over 22 million impressions, over 1.7 million video views and over 40,000 clicks. Direct display advertising campaigns were carried out using Google Display Network and TripAdvisor.

Furthermore, Sri Lanka Tourism Facebook page had a reach of around 7 million people during the campaign period, and generated over 1.4 million video views, close to 200,000-page engagements including around 5,500 shares and over 3500 comments.

“The campaign also generated over 11 million impressions on Facebook with over 16000 link clicks during the campaign period,” Sri Lanka Tourism said.