The National Carrier & Tourism Promotion
By Sarath de Alwis –March 21, 2016
Sarath de Alwis
‘We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.’ ~ Ayan Rand
2016 marks 50 years since the establishment of the Ceylon Tourist Board in 1966 now styled Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
The recent brouhaha caused by a high powered delegation to an annual trade fair in Berlin headed by the Minister of Tourism that included the Chairman ofSriLankan Airlines is the immediate cause of this retrospective assessment of the role of the national carrier in promoting tourism.
SriLankan airlines has acknowledged that ‘it has had to respond to a highly competitive market environment by reevaluating its current operations and redeploying capacity to more sustainable routes and destinations.’[‘Srilankan Realigns Operations’ Serendib magazine of SriLankan Airlines P 61]
The airline should be applauded for its innovative approach in building brand equity. They inform the boarding passenger in its inflight magazine that they have had to respond to competition! It is a nudge for us to pay heed to Ayan Rand. ‘We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.’
We embarked on promoting tourism in 1966. It was the year that Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in China. It was also the year, Indira Gandhi took charge of India.Read More
