Need for better marketing strategies for Sri Lankan tourism

• Case of Sigiriya

Sigiriya can be considered as the eighth ‘Wonder of the World’. It is also an icon of Sri Lankan tourism. From 2009 Sri Lanka has been enjoying the dividends of peace. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka had met its tourist arrival target of 1.5 million for the year 2014. Sigiriya is one of the prominent attractions in Sri Lanka, but at the moment there is no specific website for Sigiriya. There is a need for a novel and innovative website concentrated on Sigiriya   As per the SLTDA figures, Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 16.1% in December last year compared to the same period in 2013 with the arrival of 178,672 tourists compared to the 153,918 arrived in December 2013. For the year 2014 a total of 1,527,153 tourists arrived in the island recording a 19.8% increase from the 1,274,593 who came during 2013. The tourism sector is more important for economic growth. In this context and the blessings of peaceful environment, the strategic window has been opened for tourism in Sri Lanka. A strategic window is a “temporary period of ‘alignment’ or ‘fit’ between the competitive capabilities of an organisation and the key requirements of the existing or new markets it intends to compete in”. Technically it is a short time period which Sri Lanka should exploit the market. To do this, there should be proper marketing strategies by looking at different segments in the world. If you want to touch the heart of Chinese travellers, you have to be concerned about the following factors in hotel accommodations. What Chinese look for in hotel accommodation nFree Wi-Fi nChina Union Pay nSlippers nTea kettle nTranslated materials nChinese TV channels nChinese breakfast nMandarin-speaking staff nSmoking room nMini bar cup noodles nToothbrush and toothpaste So it is really important to understand the needs and wants of a different people in different regions. Then what about internet? Internet and web marketing is really important in current world of tourism. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA 2005), 67% of US travellers have used the internet to search the information on destinations or check prices or schedules. Most of the tourists in the world would like to browse the web before visiting to the particular destinations. As discussed earlier, Sigiriya is one of the prominent attractions in Sri Lanka, but at the moment there is no specific website for Sigiriya. There is a need for a novel and innovative website concentrated on Sigiriya. It is desirable to have catchy theme like ‘I left my heart in Sigiriya’ to attract more tourists to the destination. In the website it is desirable to have buttons for different locations. Inclusion of different photographs highlighting the attractiveness of the location is absolutely vital. This will attract the attention of browsers as well. There should be a section enabling the visitors to share their thoughts and also the ideas about the location with their own photograph. Even as a sales promotion tool the best photo uploaded can be selected every week and the winner can be given some complements, etc. Website should be kept simple and it should consist of beautiful photos, carefully-selected melodies, and brief statements. Further a 24/7 hotline is also can be recommended. Links should be available enabling the visitor to have information about visa procedures, to book hotels in the location, etc. Even web ads can be posted on selected popular websites. Furthermore, visitors should be able to purchase products through the web just by clicking the icon. For the easy access of search engines like Google some key words can be used. As an example when the potential customer types ‘Handicrafts,’ the Kibissa (this is the place that markets handicrafts of the people to tourists with a lot of creative work) is a word will come as the second or third search. Social network Starting groups and advertises via social networks like Facebook and MySpace can be considered as important since it will increase the level of awareness as well as the interest to visit locations. Even blogs (like e-blogger) can be started to attract more people. Sales promotion Sales promotion is important not to create awareness for Sigiriya but to compel potential tourists to visit the place (sales promotion is any initiative undertaken by an organisation to promote an increase in sales). Sales promotions should vary according to the purpose of the business. (a) Buy-One-Get-One-Free (BOGOF) – If the customer is willing to buy one souvenir she/he should offered one free. Or else if five customers of the same family are visiting, one should be given free admission, etc. (d) Merchandising additions such as point-of-sale materials and product demonstrations (e) Free gifts – every tourist visiting Sigiriya Rock will get a small memorabilia (f) Discounted prices – can arrange discounted prices for travelling, food or lodging (g) Joint promotions between brands owned by a company, or with any other company brands. Joint promotions should be carried out with hotels like Kandalama in order to promote the location (example-T-shirts, caps) (i) Vouchers and coupons, often seen in newspapers and magazines. Once you forward the newspaper advertisement a 5% discount entrance fee, etc. should be given (j) Competitions and prize draws in newspapers, magazines, on TV and the radio, on the internet for the local as well as foreign tourists Customer relationship management This deals with attracting as well as retaining customers. There should be proper a database on visiting customers including name, address, country, sex, religion, birthday, etc. This should be updated and managed properly. The database can be used to understand the segments, nature of visits and customer tendencies etc. Further the information like birthday of customers can be used to create loyal customers. Loyalty programs are always helpful to retain attracted customers. For example, when a tourist visits Sigiriya once, there should be way to detect from the database and the loyalty program can target such visitors by offering them special discounts, vouchers to visit the location again. Even sending birthdays cards (with the logo of the location) will help in retaining customers. Further loyal customers will act as spokespersons for the organisation as well. Loyalty point system – This can be incorporated on the web as well. Every time when a person browses the web and contributes to the discussions, some points will be allocated and once the tourist comes to Sri Lanka he/she can redeem. This will be a very important part of CRM. WOM This can be defined as “all informal communications directed at other consumers about the ownership, usage, or characteristics of particular goods and services or their sellers”. This is very important to motivate others to buy the product. WOM can have an overwhelming impact upon a destination’s image, as dissatisfied visitors spread unflattering comments related to their experiences. Emails, the web as well as blogs, virtual communities, newsgroups, chat rooms, product review sites can be used to promote the destination and also the shops, available handicrafts, etc. To promote Sigiriya and the surrounding area as a tourist destination there is a need for better website together with integrated tools like customer relationship management, sales promotion and word of mouth communication, etc. As discussed earlier, there is a need to have a proper theme like ‘I left my heart in Sigiriya’ to promote the destination. We need to identify the proper strategies with proper mechanisms in order to enhance the capacity in Sri Lankan tourism. It is only then that we can witness sustainable tourism in our country with greater opportunities.