A team of senior international experts in destination reputation management and crisis recovery is now working out Sri Lanka ’s strategic plan to revive its floundering tourism industry affected by Easier terror, SL tourism authority announced.
This team has successfully worked to mitigate risk for Egypt Tourism, Lufthansa German wings among other famous brands.
The phased out strategic plan includes 1) Channel management & rapid rebuttal 2) Scenario mapping & planning 3) Customized recovery strategies for key source markets based on global consumer research.
SL tourism authority has already taken all possible steps to demonstrate that Sri Lanka 's response to the incident is effective and credible.
It is now aggressively planning to reassure the world of the tourism authority’s levels of preparedness and setting the groundwork for future reputational recovery work.
Measures have been taken to reassure tourists that all appropriate steps are being taken by the Sri Lankan Government to prevent any future incidents and ensure the continued safety of tourists within the country.
A holistic reputation recovery plan will be devised based on data and research for each of the key markets, this will be followed by an intensive global marketing campaign to further accelerate the recovery process' a top Sri Lanka Tourism official said.
Sri Lanka is forecasting a 25 per cent decline in the number of visitors in 2019 compared to last year due to the Easter Sunday attacks expects tourism to rebound as the military intensifies security efforts, he added.
Sri Lanka ’s tourism loses may be even greater, as the sector could take at least two years to recover. Airlines and hotels are heavily discounting prices.
The authorities are offering ad hoc subsidies and implementing a $2.6 million marketing campaign to boost tourism.
Following a major blow to a country’s tourism sector, it is essential to formulate a coherent recovery plan in close consultation with business.
This should include decisive security measures, better price to quality ratios for hotels, and training on world-class service standards.
The tourism industry is critical for the country as the third-highest revenue generator, on which an estimated 500,000 people depend for their livelihood.
The island is popular with tourists from the Arabian Gulf during public holidays and longer getaways and has been named Lonely Planet’s destination of the year.
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