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by
Chris Betros Ever since the tsunami devastated several South Asian countries last Dec 26, their tourism industries have been going full steam ahead to recover. In the case of Sri Lanka, the country has bounced back remarkably fast thanks to a lot of hard work, energy and enthusiasm by its people. Sri Lanka is open for business. That's the message Udaya Nanayakkara, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, has been delivering on his travels around the world. Spearheading the effort has been "Rediscover Sri Lanka," a U.S. $4.1 million campaign to boost tourism that involves SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Tourism and other government departments. The 3 1/2-month campaign on international television and press started on May 16. The campaign consists of commercials on pan-regional television in Europe, the Middle East, Far East and South Asia, such as CNN, BBC, National Geographic, A1, A4, Sky, Animal Planet, and Discovery. In addition, press advertisements are being published in the United Kingdom, Germany and France, which are Sri Lanka's major tourism markets. For its part, SriLankan Airlines is running a series of media conferences in target markets to complement "Rediscover Sri Lanka," and is offering 20% off on holiday packages. According to Nanayakkara, the tsunami actually did little damage to the island's tourism infrastructure, despite adverse publicity which gave a completely incorrect perception of the situation in the country. Only 48 of Sri Lanka's 248 star-class hotels were damaged. Of these, 31 have already been repaired and are fully operational; 10 more are being totally refurbished and will be ready by November. While seven hotels did suffer structural damage, they account for only 468 of the country's 14,000 hotel rooms. Sri Lanka achieved a record 566,220 tourist arrivals in 2004, surpassing the target of 550,000. While the tsunami's effect was felt in January and February, things started to get better in March and April. In April, there were 42,261 arrivals, compared to 30,672 visitors last year. April also saw a total of 1,335 visitors from Japan, up 36.5% compared to the same month a year ago, reflecting a positive return of Japanese travelers to the country. For Sri Lanka, Nanayakkara was the right man in the right job at the right time. A quintessential travel and tourism specialist, his father is acknowledged as the patriarch of tourism in Sri Lanka. Nanayakkara's goal is to make tourism the No. 1 foreign income generator by 2010. After graduating from Sri Lanka's St Thomas's College and Bournmouth College in the United Kingdom where he obtained a diploma in business management, Nanayakkara dropped anchor in the world of business. Before accepting his short-term appointment as head of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board last June, Nanayakkara was chairman of DUT Holdings Ltd, an investment vehicle with significant shareholdings in publicly quoted and private companies in Sri Lanka. Japan Today's Chris Betros and Chie Masuda caught up with Nanayakkara during a recent visit to Japan to attend an annual gathering of the International Air Transport Association. How has this year been so far for tourism in Sri Lanka? I think we have quite successfully overcome the situation caused by the tsunami. January was very bad, but in February we introduced new promotional activities and it paid dividends in certain markets. Now we have experienced a 3% plus over this time last year. After the tsunami, the whole world knew where Sri Lanka is, but for the wrong reasons. We have been able to take advantage of that and position ourselves in markets that we were not really focusing on before. How did you cope with the initial pressure? I enjoy pressure. I perform better. For the last 20 years or so in Sri Lanka, we have had one sort of turmoil or another, so we respond to it automatically. We came through very well and didn't panic at all. Our primary concern was how to assist the tourists when the tsunami happened. The organized tours were easy to locate because we knew where they were. The individual travelers were harder to find. What was the tourism infrastructure damage like? Not as bad as the TV footage made it seem. Only seven hotels received actual structural damage, although 48 were affected a little bit. Some have already been refurbished. The road and rail networks are constructed parallel to the sea, so the end result was a lot of debris in those areas. Has the "Recover Sri Lanka" campaign started in Japan yet? Not yet. The campaign started on May 16, focusing on Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Japan will be the next stage from January 2006. It's something we must plan and do properly. Inbound tourism from Japan is picking up already. In April, we saw a 36.5% increase in tourists over last year. We've been getting a lot of write-ups in lifestyle magazines. What is the image of Sri Lanka that you are selling? Diversity in culture, nature, adventure, wellness, beaches and a spiritual experience — we have a very wide spectrum. How important is the tourism industry in Sri Lanka? Currently, it is the 4th largest foreign exchange earner. The top earner is our people working abroad who send money home, then our garments industry, followed by tea. How often do you travel abroad? All the time, almost every three or four days. I'm used to it. I don't come to Japan very often. It's more to India and Europe. Do people whom you meet overseas have preconceived ideas about Sri Lanka? That's always been so. When I was studying in the UK, my classmates asked me why I came there to study? Didn't we have schools in Sri Lanka? Some people think Sri Lanka is backward and underdeveloped. However, our literacy rate is in excess of 94%, the highest in our part of the world. After the tsunami, people thought the whole island must have sunk. I had to explain we are not a small island and quite high above sea level. The media gets it wrong too. How do you get feedback from tourists? I myself don't get many chances to talk with tourists, except when I am traveling — in a transit lounge or on board a plane. Tour operators and hoteliers and our own information centers at airports provide feedback. When you are in Sri Lanka, what is a typical day for you? I am not an early bird. I go to the tourist board about 9:30 a.m., but I also have my own family business. I'm used to working very long hours until 9 or 10 at night. When you are abroad, how do you keep in touch with everyone? I'm not computer savvy at all, so I don't send emails on the road. Rather, I send SMS messages to all my companies and the tourist board staff, sometimes at ungodly hours. What sort of things in business frustrate you? When my instructions are delayed or not followed, I tend to get frustrated. I believe if you are doing a job, you must do it well and if you cannot do it, you must say sorry, so I can find someone else.
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