ri Lanka’s tourism industry is at a pivotal moment, with emphasis on a unified national brand to elevate the country’s global perception.
Sri Lanka Tourism plans to introduce a comprehensive national brand in January, moving beyond the use of individual campaign taglines to reshape the country’s global tourism image, focusing on establishing Sri Lanka as a year-round travel destination, and enhancing products and services offered in the country.
While implementation can be considered a challenge, stakeholders believe that a well-executed nation-branding strategy can lead to higher value for exports, attract international investments, and position Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for tourism and commerce.
A national brand for Sri Lanka
Speaking to Travel Voice, Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam explained the significance of establishing a unified national brand for Sri Lanka.
“From a tourist perspective, Sri Lanka has always been driven by campaign brands. Our campaign brand currently is ‘You’ll Come Back For More’. Over the past 10-20 years, Sri Lanka has frequently changed its campaign branding, treating it as our positioning brand,” he said.
Hewawasam emphasised the importance of having a solid, unified brand to present the country on a long-term basis. “We have lost that consistency, and unfortunately, the tourism brand we use has barely been adopted by industry personnel, leading to a lack of popularity,” he stated.
He noted that these taglines were subjective and did not reflect the core values or the brand positioning of Sri Lanka, adding that this had been a point of debate among industry experts, with a growing consensus that the country’s branding needed to be unified in order to represent Sri Lanka to the world from multiple perspectives.
Hewawasam further explained that a unified national brand would mean that any product or service offered by the country would reflect the same core brand values, as the concept behind country branding was to pitch the country through its products and services, creating a synergised and solid understanding of Sri Lanka globally.
He highlighted efforts to identify globally recognised products and services in Sri Lanka that could support this vision, adding that this initiative would be undertaken in collaboration with the Export Development Board (EDB) and key sectors such as tea and apparel. “For instance, tea has already been co-promoted alongside tourism, and vice versa. Such collaborations create synergised effects,” he explained.
New promotional campaign in January
Regarding upcoming promotional efforts, Hewawasam stated that there would be a new promotional campaign programme.
“We are lining up several global campaigns. However, as November and December are peak seasons for tourism in Sri Lanka, we plan to launch these campaigns starting in January. During the peak season, there won’t be a significant difference in pitching the brand because it already attracts tourists. The focus will be on creating a strong plan during the offseason,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of promoting Sri Lanka as a year-round destination. “The island’s east and west coasts experience different monsoons, making them suitable for tourism at different times of the year. Sri Lanka is already a 365-day destination; it’s just that we haven’t promoted it properly. More attention needs to be given to targeting specific niche global markets,” he added.
Development projects are another key focus area, with efforts underway to promote tourism zonalisation.
“Zonalisation is critical to attracting more tourism investments in specific zones of Sri Lanka. Currently, areas such as Kalpitiya, Jaffna, and the eastern coast are being neglected despite their tourism potential. We are fast-tracking the identification of these areas to make them investment-friendly,” Hewawasam said.
He added that product development remained a priority. “We are engaging experts from both the private sector and the Government to develop and introduce new products to the market. Higher tourist revenue cannot be achieved by relying solely on traditional products and services. Developing new products and attracting more investments to diverse zones are key agendas,” he concluded.
Moving beyond conventional offerings
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Deputy Director General Upali Ratnayake shared insights from a development perspective.
He emphasised that development and promotion were interlinked and would function as a unified arm in future, in line with current Government policy. “In the past, there were several branding efforts. However, going forward, the foremost concern will be positioning Sri Lanka under a single brand for the next 20-30 years, avoiding the frequent changes of the past,” he stated.
Ratnayake highlighted the importance of creating a brand that represented the entire tourism ecosystem, rather than being limited to the vision of a single party or stakeholder. “For instance, ‘Incredible India’ has been embraced by the entire industry. It is not confined to tourism alone, making it effective branding,” he explained.
He noted that the process of finalising Sri Lanka’s unified brand was still underway, with a focus on positioning the country in the global market, particularly in terms of its digital presence. “This year, we are approaching two million tourist arrivals, with an optimistic target of five million in the near future, a goal that makes destination positioning integral,” Ratnayake said.
According to him, in order to achieve this, an awareness campaign has been planned, addressing the requirements and diversity of the market. “It’s vital to highlight the available facilities, how we treat our guests, and how we cater to their needs. This approach will not only bring back tourists who have already visited but also attract new visitors in equal numbers,” he added.
From a product perspective, Ratnayake underscored the need to move beyond conventional offerings. “Sri Lanka has traditionally marketed its culture and nature. While these remain important, we must address new trends. Resort development is one such focus, modelled on how developed countries project their resorts and engage in destination marketing,” he said.
He further noted that year-round events were also gaining attention, alongside a demand to attract high-end markets. “We are developing boutique and small-scale luxury accommodations to cater to above-average markets that prioritise peace, privacy, and unique experiences,” he explained.
Emphasising diversification, he added that beyond basic activities, there would be new aspects. For instance, the east coast is renowned for the surfing potential of Pasikuda and Arugam Bay, but the SLTDA is working to establish new tourist destinations and diversify offerings geographically.
Ratnayake detailed several upcoming initiatives in infrastructure development, adding that while basic infrastructure remained crucial, there was a need for large-scale investments as well. “The cable car project in Nuwara Eliya is one such initiative, which is awaiting final approval. Other initiatives include the development of the Kalpitiya islands and additional investments currently under review,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of targeting niche markets and smaller tourist groups concentrated in specific locations. “This approach is particularly suitable for an island nation like Sri Lanka and will receive significant Government support in terms of facilitation and approvals,” Ratnayake added.
“Moreover, integrating other industries into tourism is another focus area. For instance, Ceylon Tea enjoys a prominent brand image, but many who love it may not even know where it originates from. By leveraging such connections, we can increase Sri Lanka’s global visibility,” he noted.
Critical requirement for the industry
Several leading stakeholders expressed optimism regarding this initiative, considering the initiative as a long-standing as well as critical requirement for the country to enhance its global appeal while diversifying the market.
Commenting on the initiative, Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance Co-Chair Malik J. Fernando stated that nation branding was a critical requirement to reposition Sri Lanka in terms of tourism, trade, investment, and foreign affairs.
“The country does not have a positive perception globally due to historical reasons, and it is important to have a combined initiative across multiple sectors, including tea, spices, tourism, and trade in order to reposition the destination across multiple fronts.
“This is nation branding and it is desperately needed by Sri Lanka, given how amazing this country is across multiple sectors, although the international perception remains weak,” he said.
Fernando further noted that the benefit of nation branding lay in its potential to command higher prices for tourism and export products, as well as attract greater interest from foreign investors and trade partners.
“Nation branding makes us desirable from a commercial standpoint. The ultimate value of nation branding is that there will be more demand, resulting in a higher price, whether it’s for a product or a service,” he explained.
Sharing similar insights, Jetwing Symphony Chairman Hiran Cooray expressed optimism regarding the shift towards establishing a national brand.
“When we are nationally branding, which has been a requirement for a long time, we need to address one significant aspect as well, which is whether we are Ceylon or Sri Lanka. We are selling tea, cinnamon, and sapphires under Ceylon, alongside Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lanka Apparel, and Sri Lanka Cricket.
“When nationally branding, this should be sorted out as well. This is a great opportunity for the country to decide which stance to take and which name to use. I believe the time is right for us to permanently decide whether we are to brand ourselves as Ceylon or Sri Lanka,” he said.
Cooray also noted that the idea of national branding was excellent. “A unified brand will not only benefit tourism but also many other sectors, boosting the country’s image globally. A tagline such as ‘A Land Like No Other,’ which was introduced some time back, is valuable. There is no need to spend more money to create new taglines, as they tend to change with every new Government,” he pointed out.
Similarly, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President M. Shanthikumar told The Sunday Morning Business that the initiative was commendable.
“THASL has been kept informed during discussions about future plans and we are very happy with them. This type of promotion will definitely boost the tourism industry. Along with this, there will be more awareness, and the global marketing campaign, which has been lacking for the past 15 years, will finally be rolled out. We are fully supportive of that,” he said.
Shanthikumar also highlighted the importance of promoting Sri Lanka as a year-round destination, noting that the country had the capacity to cater to this demand.
Chamber of Tourism and Industry President A.M. Jaufer highlighted that while Sri Lanka had multiple taglines in the past, the chamber advocated a single, permanent tagline or branding name, similar to ‘Incredible India’. He added that there was hope the processes would unfold smoothly with the new tourism policy being brought forth as well as the tourism commission.
Jaufer stated: “We suggest more interconnection with other countries as well, accompanied by a more diverse approach, with more airlines and passenger vessel services operating from countries such as the Maldives to Sri Lanka. High-end tourism should be marketed further in the country, with 48 boutique hotels existing in the country so far.”
“Moreover, in terms of promotion, we would like to see specific promotions in each country. For instance, there is a high-end market in Middle East countries, which should be promoted more as it will be more advantageous,” he noted.
