Hotel Show 2012 launched :

Tourism records over 30% growth

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

The country's tourism industry grew rapidly since the establishment of peace and it has recorded over 30 percent growth for this year. The impact of the industry in the overall socio-economic development is very encouraging and immediate action to upgrade the quality of service delivery is necessary, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said. It is expected that the country could exceed the 800,000 tourists arrival mark by early next week and this indicates that the set targets for years ahead could be achieved easily, he said at the launch of the Hotel Show 2012 held yesterday in Colombo.

The tourism industry is poised to become a one billion dollar industry by end of next year if the present arrival trend continues. This year the revenue generated will reach $ 800 million. The industry faces the challenges of meeting the demands of the new tourists and measures are needed to offer better quality service, upgraded products and effective infrastructure facilities to sustain the growth momentum.

According to the tourism development strategy, efforts to broad base the supplier base will enable better positioning, idea generation and action plans to develop the industry. There will be direct as well as indirect benefits by increasing the number of suppliers and the Hotel Show is an ideal platform to showcase capabilities to move forward, he said.

"As the tourism industry has become a significant development driver, we need to support and increase the number of repeat tourists by providing due care and comfort to attract more numbers.

The positive feed back in this regard plays an important role and we need to have an open-minded approach to make their stay memorable."

"It is expected that by 2016, every 16 tourists who arrive will create one employment opportunity thus making the tourism industry to be in the forefront of employment and revenue generation," Dr. Godahewa said.

Sri Lanka's hospitality industry focuses on upgrading its products and services with the use of emerging technologies. The Hotel Show 2012 will create a launching pad for a holistic upward movement in the industry, Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd Director Imran Hassan said. The seventh show next year to be held from July 13 to 15 at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre will be the South Asia's largest hospitality exhibition to showcase hotel suppliers and services. There will be an increased number of participants from 160 to 220 this year making the show a much bigger interactive event, he said.