The Cabinet nod has been received recently to reactivate the initiative, which was initially approved in 2019.
“This received the (Cabinet) approval in 2019, with a Malaysian collaborator. Because of COVID and other reasons, it was in the cold storage for a while. With tourism picking up, the government wants to reactivate this. The evaluation committee is already appointed. It will get activated shortly,” Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Priyantha Fernando told Mirror Business.
In the coming weeks, the appointed management and technical evaluation committees are set to meet to recommend the scope and content of this app.
“Once these committees conclude their meetings, we can go ahead with their recommendations. In particular, a technical evaluation committee is expected to be appointed shortly, which will have to finalise the contents the app will carry,” he said.
The same Malaysia-based developer would be assigned to develop the app.
When questioned on the timeline, Fernando said that end of the first quarter of 2024 is set as the deadline but much would depend on how soon the authority can obtain the required clearances.
“We are yet to have a meeting with them (developer) to find out what stages that app is in right now, whether they have developed it or we have to start from scratch. If they have to start from scratch, I am afraid, the launch date will probably be pushed to the second quarter of this year but if the technical aspects are already completed, we can launch it, at least by March, this year,” he elaborated.
The all-inclusive tourism app is expected to contain information about all tourist sites in the country, registered establishments and service providers, while the tourists would also be able to purchase tickets to tourist sites such as the Cultural Triangle and wildlife parks through the app.
The app would be equipped with interactive features, which would allow the tourists to rate and comment on the tourist establishments and service providers,
from tour operators to tuk drivers, based on their experiences.
The app will also entail features that would provide insights on the areas of interest of tourists, which would allow the relevant authorities to focus and create relevant tourism products.
According to Fernando, the app would incorporate other features, including the ability to obtain visa through this app and thereby making it a truly an all-inclusive app for tourists visiting the island nation.
“In time to come, even the immigration in terms of visa payments and visa will be incorporated into this. That will be coming into force very soon,” he said.
The app is set to be available in many languages of tourists visiting the country such as German, French, Russian and Chinese, in addition to English.
The government is not expected to bear any costs for the development, under the earlier approved funding arrangement with the developer.
“There’s no development cost as far as we are concerned. It will be developed by them (developer), based on the funding modalities built into the earlier Cabinet paper in 2019. It will be an ongoing process,” he added.
