You have been recently appointed Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism four main State Agencies and you are the first female to do so. According to your personal experience, how do you see Sri Lanka’s political and economic landscape evolving in the next five years?
First let me explain that I took over in December 2019 when the country was just recovering from the shocks of the Easter Sunday bomb blasts, however, we managed to put that behind us and move forward as a nation when the world wide pandemic struck the global tourism industry. I am used to taking on challenges and overcoming them so now in 2022 we in Sri Lanka can be proud of how we handled post pandemic travel and even promoting local travel to keep the industry afloat during the trying times. It is how we manage challenges that will determine the future.
In 2020, my initial plan was to broaden our tourism offer by including local communities and presenting our culture to visitors alongside the already known positives of the destination and immediately started looking for new ways to improve the visibility of the many attractions to visitors to Sri Lanka with a focus on community engagement and presenting our culture too.
In order to do that we had to digitalize the touristic experience, though not 100 percent most of the critical areas have now been digitalized making the visitor experience more seamless. That was my first priority.
Simultaneously I worked towards cohesion between all four State Agencies – Promotions Bureau the marketing arm; Conventions Bureau – which handled meetings and conventions; Institute of Tourism and Hotel management- for industry apprentices and the Tourism Development Authority the pinnacle body the licensing body. Now all four institutions work on cross functional teams making it cost effective also pooling of both human and financial resources.
USAid came into help us in the automation process and was also helpful in streamlining the investment process, enabling both local and foreign investors to develop projects with greater ease.
Covid-19 global pandemic has struck many countries in the world but it has particularly hit Sri Lanka’s economy and employment situation. Which are, in your opinion, key to a country’s stability economic recovery?
Our first Covid-19 case was detected in March 2019, the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took immediate action and appointed a very skilled Covid-19 Task Force which included myself, the army commander, the health minister and a couple of others in knowledgeable persons in high profile positions both from the state and private sector. This proved to be in the best interest of both the country and the tourism industry.
This was the best reaction they could have had for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
This Task Force met daily and formulated plans to meet the challenges head-on. The focus was mainly on keeping people healthy, that was the first priority then in employment and this paid off, as no sooner the vaccine was available the government launched the very successful vaccination programme which was a globally recognised success and today we don’t have ad-hoc airport closures which unfortunately even more developed economies with better health care facilities have not been able to achieve.
In May 2020 the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau came up with the idea of creating what we called the “Bio Bubbles” which would provide a safe environment for tourists to come and explore our country even during the pandemic and lockdown.
The Task Force was working very closely with WHO in Sri Lanka to make sure all protocols were followed during this time. We created health protocols for all of our local staff members to adhere to and we opened up certain areas of the tourism industry such as hotels and beaches for visitors to enjoy in safety. Only staff members who were trained and audited by our Covid-19 Task Force were permitted in these designated areas of the “Bio Bubble” to provide the appropriate services.
I am used to taking on challenges and overcoming them so now in 2022 we in Sri Lanka can be proud of how we handled post pandemic travel and even promoting local travel to keep the industry afloat during the trying times. It is how we manage challenges that will determine the future.
In 2021 Sri Lanka’s Tourism sector suffered the worst year in the last 40 years, due to the pandemic recording only 190,000 tourists for a whole year and the resultant lack of foreign exchange has had devastating effects on the country’s economy, however, in the first 20 days of 2022 Sri Lanka has already welcomed nearly 60,000 visitors, around 30% of the previous year’s total arrivals in less than three weeks. What has been the strategy of the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau for turning this situation around?
The most effective strategy was the highly commended mass vaccination drive which helped Sri Lanka’s image as being a country safe to travel to.
We also kept our visibility by participating in trade shows, and had ongoing discussions with airlines, invited bloggers and influencers to experience the ground situation and of course the visual and print media were very receptive and impressed with our covid management plans and strategies and gave us good publicity. Of course loyal repeat visitors kept voting for Sri Lanka as a destination of choice to visit as well as commended particular interests in some locations within the country. We stayed visible with multiple webinars and communication campaigns via e-mail, video and international meetings.
The most effective strategy was the highly commended mass vaccination drive which helped Sri Lanka’s image as being a country safe to travel to.
Expo Dubai 2020 is seen as a great forum for Sri Lanka’s touristic and economic promotion, with the country marking a vibrant presence at this major international convention. As the Chairperson of Sri Lanka’s Conventions Bureau, what are your plans to attract major events to the country?
Sri Lanka Tourism made a very concerted effort in giving leadership to other state agencies in presenting Sri Lanka at Expo Dubai where we have made a significant impact and we plan on maintaining the momentum for the whole duration of the exhibition, and the team is prepared and geared for it.
We have signed an MOU with Emirates Airlines to partner in tourism and to promote Sri Lanka and we will soon be signing an MOU with Singapore airlines too.
International conventions is an important segment and an important market that we will promote and develop, however, as Sri Lanka is a small island nation and does not possess the large land mass required for large global conventions and exhibitions we will be more focussed on the mid level conventions which can be hosted at the current venues and hotels, at present.
During the pandemic we also started doing virtual conventions and we are now fully equipped for these type of conventions too. We focused on digitalizing the registration process for local and international companies to book their conventions with us which will make the process easier and more efficient.
The United States of America is the country with the second highest travelling expenditure and the second highest number of international travellers in the world. Still American tourists to Sri Lanka only represent an average of 2.4% of all international travellers. How is the Tourism Promotion Bureau planning on expanding this market and increasing the numbers of American visitors?
The US market is very unique and it is a critical part of our tourism industry growth plan. American tourists tend to stay longer periods of time and are more involved in our country and its heritage compared to other visitors. We are in the process of securing a PR agent in the US to be our voice and represent Sri Lanka Tourism at American trade shows and do promotions at the local level.
Our message is clear and simple, if American travellers want to experience Asia, Sri Lanka is the place to be. We offer a well rounded touristic experience and we offer within one country what the rest of Asian tourist destinations offer and more, all concentrated within one beautiful island.
We are also creating our very own travel app, that will be released and ready for download by the end of the year, which tourists can use to access the total travel process: from obtaining visa to booking hotel rooms to purchasing airplane tickets. We have also included features that will allow tourists to interact with us by reviewing places they have visited as well as being able to upload pictures of their experiences in Sri Lanka.
The US market is very unique and it is a critical part of our tourism industry growth plan. American tourists tend to stay longer periods of time and are more involved in our country and its heritage compared to other visitors. We are in the process of securing a PR agent in the US to be our voice and represent Sri Lanka Tourism at American trade shows and do promotions at the local level.
Your professional career is an example for many young professionals that look up to figures like you. You have accomplished remarkable things in banking and finance sectors and now you are facing incredible challenges in this new endeavour as the head of tourism development in Sri Lanka. In your personal life, what are you most proud of?
What I am most proud of is of the ability I have to make a change and help my country. The chance of contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of all Sri Lankans, this is very important to me.
I have enjoyed privileges and have everything I could possibly need in my life and I think it is the collective responsibility of all Sri Lankans including myself to take pride in our country and showcase its many positives to the world, while making it a better for place for everybody to live in harmony.
I am also very proud of my two children. They are both in London, one is studying and the other one is working, doing corporate finance as I did. She has started her journey like me, so maybe she will also end up like me. I have always tried to do good, do right and that is why I believe I have been recognized and trusted by the government. We have to do right and also be patriotic to our country.
Do right and you will always be all right, that is my sincere advice to you all as well.
We would like to transmit the power of your voice. What is your message for the USA Today and readers across the world?
I welcome American citizens to visit our beautiful country, we have so much to offer, and we have a long friendship with your country. We look forward to sharing everything we have developed over the years: our wellness, our adventure, our sports, our culture, our food and our welcoming people. So come visit our country and build more lasting friendships, and build wonderful memories here. It is a very special country to visit, Sri Lanka is our paradise island and we are ready to welcome you with a warm Ayubowan ! ( May you live long)
