Sri Lanka Tourism downgrades 2013 arrivals forecast
Monday, 29 July 2013 00:24
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By Cheranka Mendis
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority on Friday downgraded the forecasted arrivals for 2013, changing the original estimated figure of 1.25 million to 1.1 million.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Hotel Show 2013, SLTDA Director General Dr. D.S. Jayaweera noted that given the arrivals during the first six months of the year (512,281 tourists), the country is likely to attract 1.1 million by end-December.
“Tourist arrivals have increased drastically over the past four years,” Jayaweera said. “Last year, the country recorded just over one million arrivals whereas during the last six months, we have attracted almost 500,000. My own forecast is 1.1 million for the year.” According to him, the average growth rate is likely to be around 28%.
During the period of January-June, 75% of the tourists who frequented the country came seeking out the beaches or the ‘sun, sea and sand’ concept, he expressed.
The arrival of Chinese tourists has averaged 72% over the last six months over the same period last year while the average growth of the Russian market is over 45%. In order to better cater to these parties, the industry must up their standards in the culinary department and must be prepared to create authentic dishes of key target markets. For this, the country needs to build a minimum of 20,000 good chefs within the next two years, he said.
The increase of foreign arrivals for the past five years averaged at over 20%, Jayaweera divulged, whereas domestic tourism increase averaged at 30% per annum during the same period.
The industry must look at tapping into the hearts of tourists through their hunger pangs he said, just like countries like Singapore, where 25% of the tourists come for the cuisine.
Speaking on room capacities, Jayaweera noted that in 2012, 10 million room nights were recorded, out of which 70% was from the formal sector. The formal sector is said to account for around 16,500 rooms of the total room inventory of approximately 25,000, he said. “During the next two years, the numbers must reach 35,000-40,000.”
Within the tourism industry, there has been a raging argument whether the current room rates are too expensive or not, especially given the fact that arrivals have lost steam and in the face of rising competition from other destinations.
