12 March 2024 03:23 pm
After concluding 2024 event of the ITB Berlin Convention, the world’s leading travel industry think tank the minister said Sri Lanka Tourism is launching its destination brand campaign globally with a new positioning and a tagline: ‘You’ll come back for more’.
"What inspired us was the simple fact that 33% of our travellers are repeat visitors. We have people from across the world returning to Sri Lanka, some as many as 100 to 150 times. When you listen to their stories and experiences on our island, you will realise that there is something special about Sri Lanka. It’s not just a bucket-list country. There is a deep bond Sri Lanka creates with our visitors and as a result, they keep coming back for the people, the places, and the moments. We want to share this unique story of our island with the world. Under the new destination positioning, we have a 360-degree approach to telling our story. But while we communicate all that we have to offer the world, we will also ensure the quality of the experiences each traveller has with us is also rich.”
"The long-term target is even more ambitious, with plans to welcome 5 million arrivals and generate USD 21.6 billion in revenue by 2030.
"The country is taking a holistic approach to its global marketing and promotion campaigns, in addition to product development. This strategy aims to position the island as a destination that travellers could visit year-round," he said.
In the first few months of 2024, the island saw unprecedented growth in arrivals. February recorded a total of 218,350 tourist arrivals, marking the third consecutive month with over 200,000 arrivals. This is the highest number of tourist arrivals reported since January 2020, prior to the pandemic.