We've been to Sri Lanka many times and worked with a number of resorts there, but we can't help feeling that the latest announcement by the Sri Lankan tourist office is clutching at straws.
It appears Sri Lanka has pinned its hopes on an influx of Chinese visitors to boost the island tourism industry, which has been badly hit by years of civil war and the global financial crisis.
Their minister of tourism Milinda Moragoda, has identified China as the main market for his country when he flew in to meet with Shao Qiwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration.
"China holds the key to our tourism development and further economic growth, particularly when the number of tourists from Europe and America is plunging during the financial crisis," he told China Daily.
We can't really see this happening. The Chinese market has long been seen as the Holy Tourism Grail, offering the lure of seemingly limitless tourists, keen to travel, spend their money and line our western pockets.
Anyone who has done business in China will know this is not the case and that this is not going to happen. The enormity of the Chinese market is such that only the smallest percentage will have the economic propensity to travel and they will be looking at London or Paris rather than Columbo.
Sri Lanka has a rich religious and cultural heritage, as well as long coastlines, attractive to Western Holiday makers rather than Chinese ones.
As Liu Qi, a tour planner from the Beijing Youth Travel Service, says. "Sri Lanka is a nice resort with its tropical weather and coasts. The country is showing its confidence in boosting tourism and I hope numbers increase as the political situation stabilizes."
In other words, don't hold your breath.
Western markets are where the potential lies and that's where the investment should be!
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