Sri Lankan authorities are bringing together all stakeholders in tourism at a conference in January to finalise a nation branding strategy to propel the industry which is enjoying a period of growth, officials said.

The campaign tagline You will come back for more devised some time back, will be discontinued and instead a nation branding strategy developed, Sri Lanka Tourism chairman Buddhika Hewawasam told TTG Asia this week. Hewawasam took over as chairman of the NTO a few weeks after a new government was installed in power following parliamentary elections on November 14.

“With input from the industry at this meeting in January, we want to develop one national brand (while) also piggybacking on the success and the popularity of Ceylon tea and Sri Lanka in the cricket field,” he said. In the future, tourism in Sri Lanka will focus on promoting cricket and its tea, two things which Sri Lanka is famous for.

The tagline You will come back for more was developed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in 2022, both of which affected tourism. Hewawasam noted: “This tagline was created to woo back tourists and is not relevant today as Sri Lanka has won a lot of recognition in recent times internationally. We need to look afresh and come up with a strategy that attracts all markets.”

Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka surged to 1.8 million from January to November 2024, up from 1.3 million last year. With a target of over two million visitors, the country’s top source markets include India, Russia, the UK, Germany, and China.

He added that a PR company will be appointed in January to launch the promotion campaign.

The You will come back for more tagline was developed in 2022 but only launched earlier this year after delays in approval. It was introduced as part of a single campaign, rather than a nation branding effort.

Source: TTG Asia