Renewed German interest In Ayurvedic tourism

A group of visiting German tour operators said that there was increasing demand for Ayurveda-based tourism in Germany. The group which is currently on a week-long fact finding tour of Ayurvedic health based tourism in Sri Lanka called on Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga at the Ministry on 17 November.

Responding to a query from the Minister, the delegation said Sri Lanka was known as a tropical destination but the authorities should focus more attention on the promotion of health-based tourism. The delegation was of the view that the current practice of conducting road shows and attending travel fairs to promote the destination was less effective compared to familiarisation tours for key industry personnel, who can then spread the word directly to the target market.

The group of tour operators also showed keen interest in health products which were available in abundance in the country. Minister Amaratunga noted that growing interest in coconut-based products among many other items such as cinnamon in the health-conscious West was an encouraging sign. He said it was important to promote both health based tourism and the products that go with it.

The delegation raised concerns about the standards of Ayurvedic health spas in hotels. They said it has been brought to their notice that the standards differed widely between hotels and this was an area that needed to be addressed. Minister Amaratunga said that he was aware of this problem and was discussing the possibility of issuing a certification through the Tourism Authority to standardise the services on offer. 

Another issue that surfaced during the discussion was the proposed pruning down of the route network of the National Carrier SriLankan Airlines. The members of the delegation raised concern that the cessation of flights to Germany will adversely affect tourism from that country to Sri Lanka. Minister Amaratunga said it was only a proposal and no decision had been taken on the matter. He said he would convey their concerns to the relevant authorities.