Articles tagged “sri lanka”

The arrival of a new tourism-focused government appears to fix the global marketing conundrum Sri Lanka has long faced. Will the tourism sector finally get its act together? Hopes are high that it will.

It’s likely to get worse before it gets better for the Asian tourism industry. But forward-thinking players will know to take advantage of the current downtime to meet the pent-up demand for travel once recovery comes — which may not be far off.

It's understandable that Sri Lanka wants arrivals to return to pre-Easter bombing levels soonest. The challenge is knowing what measures are needed, amid the sense of urgency that can cloud the mind.

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.

In the wake of a tragedy, destinations are hugely beholden to the public perception of how safe it is to travel there, regardless of the reality on the ground. But the United States — which has experienced more mass shootings than there are days in 2019 — is unfairly exempt from that struggle.

Most countries are still prejudiced against the Indian passport. That's a shame. Indian travelers are a legitimate, growing source for the global tourism industry. Thailand understands that; Australia not yet. Maybe it'll take a cricket match to change that.

With tensions between the U.S. and Iranian governments escalating, tour operators report that some Americans are rethinking their travel plans. However travelers from other countries are undeterred, and interest in Iran continues to grow.

Tourism to Sri Lanka was riding high until the Easter massacre all but shut it down. Now that foreign governments are scaling back their travel warnings, some travel advisors are again pushing the destination, hoping that tourism will help get the country back on its feet.

The Western media jumped on a 57 percent drop in arrivals to Sri Lanka in June. That’s only half the story and one that could cause consumers to postpone visits. The destination is actually on the mend.

Leisure travel advisors may not have the same obligations as their corporate travel counterparts when it comes to keeping travelers safe, but this week’s terror attack raises questions about risk and responsibility.