The WTM London gave a tremendous opportunity for Sri Lanka to send the message across that Sri Lanka is ready to accommodate British travelers, said Chairperson Sri Lanka Tourism, Kimarli Fernando.
“Optimism is at an all-time high to promote Sri Lanka” she said. The successful COVID-19 vaccination program initiated by Sri Lanka which is even better than some of the European countries is the key to attract tourists and there are no major procedures to visit Sri Lanka. “You only need to be fully vaccinated and need a PCR test prior to boarding,” she said. These relaxed regulations from Sri Lanka are one of the best, most lenient protocols for travelers among other Asian peers.
Meanwhile, one of the leading travel agents promoting Sri Lanka in the UK,….. said that the fact that the British pound has a higher buying power also makes Sri Lanka an exciting destination for them.
“We have also observed that the promotions done online magazines also get high hits from the British public which is encouraging when marketing Sri Lanka.”
SriLankan has also announced daily flights soon and this would be the biggest advantage for British travelers.He also disclosed that due to the COVID-19 restrictions people’s movements were curtailed and hence their ‘leisure savings budgets’ have grown. “Now people are looking at spending them and Sri Lanka is a good choice for them.”
Simon Press, WTM London, Exhibition Director, said: “In the UK, the total cost of overseas travel for summer was skewed by having to pay for testing, while the demand for staycations led to supply shortages and price hikes. These specific pressures may or may not still be applicable for next year, but the results from the industry are unequivocal – prices will rise in 2022. “Many sectors in travel were moving their consumer messaging towards ‘value’ rather than ‘cost’.”
Meanwhile in a survey conducted by WTM organizers involving 1,000 professionals from around the globe who were asked about the impact of the widely anticipated price increases as a result of the pandemic on the overall market. Just over half (51%) were concerned that travel will become the preserve of the rich, with 49% disagreeing.
The WTM Industry report also asked about the scale of the increases, with the net result confirming that prices are set to go up in 2022. More than one-in-three (35%) of the sample said prices were likely to go up by between 1% and 20% compared with the current year. However, intense cost pressures and the need to recover revenues lost during the pandemic mean that more than one-in-10 (12%) are expecting put up prices by more than 20%.
WTM London at ExCeL –London will conclude today.
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