Sri Lanka all set to kick off long-overdue campaign

After repeated delays in the past years, Sri Lanka will finally roll out the first phase of a multi-year, US$45 million campaign later this month.

Managing director of the state-run Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sutheash Balasubramaniam, said a US$650,000 campaign will roll out on CNN platforms by end April, while a larger, six-month digital marketing campaign targeting China, India, the UK, Germany and France worth US$3.5 million would be ready by end May.

Other networks such as CCTV, NDTV (India) and Al-Jazeera will also be used in these campaigns.

Once the digital campaign tapers off, a US$41 million global marketing campaign will take off as part of a three-year programme later this year. Sri Lanka is targeting 2.3 million arrivals this year from 2.1 million in 2017.

Balasubramaniam said the global marketing campaign will focus on the five main markets and three others, which are likely to be the Middle East, Australia and Japan, in addition to promotion in other smaller markets.

Harith Perera, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), which is represented on the SLTPB board, said the digital campaign will be across all digital platforms and social media in those five key markets. “We are targeting all social media and B2C customers. The global marketing campaign later in the year encapsulates everything, above the line, below the line, to digital,” he added.

Consideration is also given to the MICE market, according to Achini Dandunnage, senior manager at the main Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau (SLCB). “When calling for proposals to appoint special representatives, they will be asked to include one day specifically for MICE buyers in a two- to three-day overseas roadshow.”

She said they are targeting incentive houses and conference organisers while special fam tours – separate from destination management marketers – are also being arranged under these campaigns.

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