Sri Lanka Boldly Asks Online Travel Agencies to Cut Commissions to Help Revive Tourism
Skift Take
Of the several measures to bring arrivals back to pre-Easter bombing levels, a tireless Sri Lanka is asking online travel agencies to slash commissions. It might be better to ask them instead to do a free or at-cost campaign to drive bookings to the country.
By offering free tourism visas on arrival, reducing airline charges to encourage carriers to reinstate flights, and asking online travel agencies to cut commissions, the Sri Lanka government has been rolling up its sleeves to get its tourism industry revving again.
But how reasonable is it to expect the likes of Expedia and Booking groups to cut commissions as part of recovery efforts? And how effective is such a measure as waiving visa fees in bringing back tourists, especially from a market like China, which is also being pursued by a slew of other countries that has eased visa policies?
The government is matching excellent private sector work to prop up one of its top three foreign exchange earners, which was impacted by the April 21 Easter Sunday bombings on hotels and churches in Colombo. Since August 1, it has waived visa fees, typically costing $20 to $40, for citizens from 48 countries, including top three sources India, China, and the UK.
What's more, plans to slash ground-handling charges, aviation fuel prices and embarkation fees to encourage airlines to return have been in force beginning this month. Both programs are reportedly for a period of six months.
Sri Lanka Tourism Minister John Amaratunga also told local reporters he was going to meet representatives of global online travel agencies to request that they reduce commissions for a period of time, according to a report in the local Daily News.
Real Friends?
Online travel agencies should reduce their commissions during a 12 to 18 months recovery period to support Sri Lanka to get back onto its feet, said Robert Hauck, who has just returned to Munich after his posting as general manager and area vice president of Galle Face Hotel and Ceylon Hotels Corp.
“This would send such a strong message to the world and make a huge impact and I am sure this gesture would not be forgotten by Sri Lanka. Actions are more meaningful than just words,” he said.
Thus far, however, that request looks like a lost cause.
