Sri Lanka has witnessed a seven per cent increase in Indian arrivals in 2017. The destination welcomed 284,000 Indian travellers and India still remains the top source market for Sri Lanka.
Speaking about India market, Viranga Bandara, Assistant Director-Marketings, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said, “The year 2017 was a record breaking year for Sri Lanka in terms of footfall from India. We have recorded the highest numbers ever which is about 284,000 travellers from India. We witnessed a seven per cent growth over the previous year.We are looking to further grow numbers from India in 2018.”
In 2018, the Bureau is looking to tap the niche segments from India market. Cinema tourism and destination weddings have emerged as prime focus amongst others.
Bandara said, “We are looking at niche segments this year like the wedding tourism, Ramayana tours, cruise and film tourism. These are some of the features we have added to our portfolio and will aggressively promote in the India market. Also, MICE is one of the biggest segment we are looking at the India market. There are new convention centres, halls and infrastructure coming up with some new hotel facilities in Sri Lanka. There is a large potential for the MICE segment to grow from the India market. In terms of film tourism, we are supporting for approvals and incentive scheme. Soon we will come out with a structured policy for film tourism segment.”
Sri Lanka introduced the Ramayana Tours in India market two years ago. After tasting success in this circuit, Sri Lanka is all set to organise Ramayana specific roadshows in India market. Sri Lanka is also set to promote unexplored destinations in India market. “Ramayana tours is one of the most important segments when it comes to the Indian market. We are planning to do more marketing and promotions about this segment. We will be doing roadshows in different cities only focusing on Ramayana tours in India. Northern East coastal area is open for Indians and they can explore this destination. This is one new area we are showcasing to the Indian travellers,” Bandara added.
In 2018, Sri Lanka is all set to organise roadshows in tier II cities like Chandigarh, Jaipur, Surat, Pune and Vishakapatnam and Coimbatore.
Speaking about the key source markets in India Bandara said, “In India our top source markets are Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi. These are the main key hubs for Sri Lanka Tourism. We are now trying to attract travellers from smaller cities.”
