SLAITO hails home stay concept
Sancharaka Udawa showcases products:
Sanjeevi Jayasuriya
-Sri Lanka will be positioned as a high-end tourism destination
focusing more on quality service delivery. The tourism industry will be
developed under an integrated program where all stakeholders especially
the small and medium products and service providers will have wider
opportunities to benefit from industrial growth.
In keeping with this concept Sancharaka Udawa was launched in Colombo
yesterday .
Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka Past President
Srilal Miththapala, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour
Operators President Nilmin Nanayakkara and Sri Lanka Tourism
Chairman Dr Nalaka Godahewa at the ‘Sancharaka Udawa’ the
tourism products meet mart held yesterday. Picture by Roshan
Pitipana |
The boom in the tourist industry will provide ample economic
opportunities and the sector should ensure that economic benefits would
spread into every strata of society.
The small and medium products and service providers need to be
encouraged to be more proactive towards the industry where a
comprehensive approach for maximum use of resources will be in place
shortly, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO)
President Nilmin Nanayakkara told Daily News Business.
“We require to combine all segments with different interests to work
closely for mutual benefit. We promote the home stay concept because
today the demand for such interactive holidays are very high,” he said.
The SLAITO is of the view that it should support the tourism industry
growth. For this, stakeholders cannot only be offering normal
traditional tours and need to infuse modern world changing needs.
“There are a whole lot of boutique hotels coming up in different
parts of the country. Some of them are of high standard and the concept
is positive. However, the marketing and promotion arm is not strong and
therefore do not derive the maximum benefit. The idea of Sancharaka
Udawa is to introduce unexposed informal sector products through a
formal sector and give our members an opportunity,” he said.
The measures taken will create an opportunity for income generation
in the industry to all levels of society basically taking tourism to the
masses.
All tourism related providers in Sri Lanka showcased their products
and services in the aspects of home-stay, bungalows and villas,
transportation, jeep hiring services, soft adventure suppliers to build
and maintain close linkages with main stream operators for business
development. Opportunity also exists in industrial automation solution,
tourist information kiosks, agricultural tourism, wedding planning for
tourists and cooking by colour for sustainable growth in the tourism
industry. |