Tapping the region's tourism potential

It is now widely acknowledged that the economic future of the world revolves around East Asia. That is, the most dynamic and productive regions of the globe are currently located in our part of the world and it goes without saying that Sri Lanka too ranks among the most robust economies of Asia, considering its economic achievements over the past few years. Increasing tourist arrivals in this country are the clinching confirmation that Sri Lanka's gathering economic dynamism and undimmed natural beauty are continuing to be pull factors for people everywhere.

It is our earnest hope that progressively the earning capacity of our people too would increase in tandem with this country's economic productivity. A substantially-spending populace would help keep the economy in fine trim because it is increasing demand for goods and services that keeps the wheels of the productive sectors moving. An increasing earning capacity would, moreover, enable local entrepreneurs to sustain and expand our tourism and leisure industries.

China, India and South East Asia; these are the bourgeoning growth centres of the world and it is heartening to note that the tourist traffic to these regions is beginning to boom with Singapore figuring prominently as a major attraction for the world's tourists. It is reported, for instance, that Singapore recorded a 13 million rise in tourist arrivals in 2011, over the previous year. However, the salient feature about this boom in tourist arrivals is that the vast majority of them are from the Asian region. It is reported that 2.6 million Indonesian tourists arrived in Singapore last year, followed by China, Malaysia and Australia.

We hope these trends are being studied by our tourism authorities. Whereas, we have been heavily dependent, traditionally, on Western tourists to sustain our tourist industry, the message from Singapore is that this need not necessarily be so. East Asia is zooming ahead as the region with a very opulent and wealthy middle class and it is only to be expected that a good many tourists in our part of the world would be deriving from this class with a penchant for high spending. It is this population segment that should be targeted by our tourism authorities in their drive to promote Sri Lanka as a number one tourist destination of the world.

It stands to reason that our tourism development strategy should centre on the fast developing East and South-East Asian regions, not forgetting South Asia, which is beginning to be predominant from the economic productivity viewpoint. Countries such as China and India are noteworthy for their sizeable and high spending middle classes that should be tapped by our tourism strategists in our efforts to further bolster our tourism industry and its sizeable fortunes.

The time is ripe to 'look East' on these issues because the economic downturn in the West is taking a heavy toll on the spending ability of its citizenry. There is a likelihood of the tourist traffic from the West eventually thinning out because travel requires financial power and this would begin to wear thin in the wake of the economic crisis gripping the West.

So, it is to the Asian region that we must look more for the steady development of our tourism industry because that is where the money mainly is although efforts must continue to cater to our Western clientele and that too in a big way. While we are doing quite well on the tourism front, we need to ensure, while using the possibilities in emerging Asian markets that more and more high spending tourists make it to this country because our best hotels must be fully occupied always. Such occupancy rates are a sure indication that the tourism and leisure industries are performing remarkably.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka must be marketed more vigorously in this part of the world. All our assets as a tourist destination must be always kept in focus, while our biggest plus point which is our current peaceful domestic atmosphere must be underscored as never before. We are a country on the mend, bristling with great promise, and this should be predominant among the messages we impress on the world outside.