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A Land Like No Other to Small Miracle

At different times in history, by different peoples and people, Sri Lanka has been called by many superlatives. ‘Serendib’ ,’Taprobane’, ‘Zeilan’, ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, ‘Tear drop of the Indian Ocean’, ‘Paradise’ and ‘Ceylon’ are some among them. In recent times we even saw the superlative ‘Paradise Lost’, conferred on us at the height of our troubled times.

Of these superlatives, the term ‘Serendib’ used by the early Arab traders to describe Sri Lanka, was also added to the English language as the new word ‘Serendipity’, to mean the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

During these times, our country was also known for our riches in spices especially cinnamon, for salt, our coffee, our tea, our gems, our educated elite, free education, a model democracy, our internal conflict, our prowess at cricket and most recently for defeating terrorism through a determined effort.

Just yesterday, Sri Lanka Tourism re- launched a new promotional campaign to local audiences with the new destination tagline ‘Small Miracle’. First launched in March this year at the ITB Travel Fair in Berlin for international markets, it shifts focus from the earlier positioning and tag line of being a destination ‘beyond beaches to a nature, culture and adventure offer’ of a ‘Land Like No Other’, to an ‘exotic island destination with a myriad of surprises’.

In the tourism marketing domain, ‘positioning’ is how a tourism destination is presented to create an image or identity in the minds of their potential customers in target markets. It also differentiates the destination from its competition, in the mind of the potential visitor, at the time they venture to select a venue for their holiday.

The other important aspect is that it supports the building of the destination as a valued and respected brand. In other words, Sri Lanka, with its tourism offer and its communication must ‘stand tall’ among competing destinations by presenting its most unique features supported by value propositions that are high in quality, consistent in deliverability and are perceived by potential visitors as giving them a high level of satisfaction.

Sri Lanka’s religious and cultural identity can boost tourism. AFP

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has been on a roller-coaster ride for several decades now. From its beginnings in the mid 1960s as a formally organized industry till early 1980s, it had an evolutionary development which was based on an early planned model.

As a result of the Tourism Master Plan of 1967, we saw the development of formal resorts at Bentota, Koggala, Giritale, Pasikudah and Nilaveli. The hotel belt of the city of Colombo was also part of that planning, while the proposed development of the coves around the Trincomalee harbour never got off the ground as intended. To meet the human resource training need, the Colombo Hotel School was also established as part of this early process.

What it used to be

Domestic tourism was supported in these early days with the extensive network of railways and roads and the British style rest houses and circuit bungalows that dotted the scenic spots alongside.

Pilgrimages to Sri Pada, Kataragama, Atamasthana, Naga Deepa and Madu Palliya were annual features on the family calendars of most Sri Lankans. Outside of the Master Plans, tourist areas such as Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Arugam Bay and Madilla developed as community led operations responding to the demand, while areas such as Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Dambulla, Negombo, Beruwela, Galle, Weligama, Waikkal, Yala, and Tangalle were identified and developed through subsequent planning efforts.

Up until late 1983, Sri Lanka’s tourism was on the up with reasonable year round occupancy levels registered, supporting the lives of many. Since 1984, when tourism had to face the negatives arising out of internal conflicts and the increased incidents of terrorism, its directions also suffered as most of the decision making were reactions to the issues at hand, instead of a desired proactive vision driven approach for its development.

There were indeed some silver linings where in the accommodation front , we had new hotel and villa type developments modelled after those in destinations such as Bali, Phuket, Chiang Mai and the like to meet the new demand of discerning visitors.

These were developed even in troubled times, using the windows of opportunity that opened up from time to time. Here the efforts of a few niche type tourism developers and design pioneers, who worked with the likes of late Jeffrey Bawa the architect, must be recognised as providing the inspirational glow.

Followed and led

Within the past 40 years, Sri Lanka Tourism developed on what can be called an investor driven business model. In the early days of tourism development, there were only a few persons among the elite, who had the ability to travel overseas and observe what was happening in tourism.

The then (1960s and 70s) tourism hot spots such as Hawaii, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean were taken as models and thus a predominantly beach-based tourism was developed.

On the infrastructure front, in the 60s, Sri Lanka led the way, where Colombo saw the operation of the ‘Quickshaws’ yellow cab taxi service with radio communications, which was at the time a pioneering effort in Asia, reported to be only the second such service in the entire world.

I mention this feat here as an example to demonstrate the focus our early tourism planners had placed, on the aspects of product and service development quality and the strong need we have today to focus on this aspect, when we take on positioning and promoting Sri Lanka in this new post-victory-over-terrorism era of development.

Banking on diversity

Given Sri Lanka’s diverse endowment of natural, heritage, cultural and social resources, in my mind, Sri Lanka can well be a destination seeking a tourism operation beyond its beaches and the island positioning. We can reach out to position our ecological diversity, in being a green destination which addresses the negatives of travel guilt.

This is a looming issue affecting long-haul travel decisions associated with climate change and global warming. We can position the friendly smiles of a naturally caring people.

This indeed has come out as the most desirable feature of the Sri Lankan experience of our visitors, at every exit survey carried out so far and thus must not be ignored. We also can position the diversity of the experience where Sri Lanka offers a unique blend of mind-body-wellness combining the ancient practice of Siddayurveda with the spiritual practice of Buddhist meditation.

Understanding markets

It must be noted that the last consumer-based market research carried out for destination Sri Lanka at key generating markets was as far back as 1982. Since the demand and the situational canvass had changed much since then, we have the need to scientifically ‘understand’ what that means to us, as a destination, through a solid base of market research. In the meantime, we must recognize that there is a strong shift in the demand for tourism destinations and services at the mid and the upper end to seeking active and spiritually rewarding experiences from that of the passive sun, sea and sand experience of the past.

This is illustrated in several studies carried out for other Asian destinations and the regular omnibus surveys at several generating markets. The ‘Triple S’ is still sought, but with the addition of the fourth ‘S ‘of style. Mass markets also exist for destinations offering gaming facilities, while there are many competing destinations that can offer visitors more of the same, at more competing value propositions, being closer to their source markets.

Uniquely Sri Lankan

At this time, when we take on a new branding exercise for the destination, entering a new phase of tourism development, Sri Lanka will need to decide if she needs to be an average low and mid-end of the market destination or a high-yield generating upmarket destination. To do this, and have our own uniquely Sri Lankan brand of tourism, she needs to make a firm resolve on the volume and quality of the visitors she needs to attract and the positioning platform, it needs to present.

We must decide if our environmental and social carrying capacity can make us to be a ten million visitor destination at the upper limit or if we should have a two million cap on it.

There is also the possibility of having large exclusive resort areas the likes of Kalpitiya, away from it all, which can cater to larger numbers where any ‘damage’ can be contained into an area. Here one can focus squarely on foreign exchange earning options such as gaming and/or business and entertainment facilities, combining it with restricted access tourism operations, similar to the model of Genting Highlands of Malaysia.

Delivering on the promise

Having got this policy level resolve done with, we will need to focus more on the aspect of ‘delivering on the promise’, getting the infrastructure right, broad-basing the authenticity of the experience offered through the development of a community and people based tourism, dealing with the on-ground realities of the negatives that mar the quality of service delivery.

To achieve success, we must venture to seek unity within the diversity that is Sri Lanka Tourism today.

Useful web addresses:
Sri Lanka Tourism Official website - www.srilanka.travel
Ministry of Tourism website - www.slmts.slt.lk
Sri Lanka Tourism website - www.srilankatourism.org
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority website - www.sltda.gov.lk
Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau website - www.visitsrilanka.net
Sri Lanka Institute for Tourism and Hotel Management website -www.slithm.edu.lk