The annual Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Summit took place at Jetwing Blue hotel in Negombo from 19-20 May with the participation of 260 delegates from across the Asia Pacific Region.
The event was declared open by the Minister of Tourism John Amaratunga along with the Secretary General of World Tourism Organization, Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman PATA, Andrew Jones, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Paddy Withana and Director General, Sri Lanka Tourism, Malraj Kiriella. The theme for this year’s summit was “Disruption, Innovation and Transformation: the future of Tourism”. PATA celebrates 66 years of operation and has been a catalyst for change, keeping abreast of the ever changing travel trends and demands of tourists.
Dr.Taleb Rifai stated “Today, the ability to travel has become a human right”. He further emphasized the need for sustainability in tourism. Sustainability is simply not serving organic vegetables on a menu or reducing the number of towels in a bedroom.
He wisely pointed out that you can’t build 5 star hotels in 3 star communities. The citizens of any area must first enjoy their own local domain before it can be relished by the visiting guests. The people of the region must enjoy the benefits of tourism”.
Sustainability, according to the Chairman of Jetwing Hotels, Hiran Cooray, revolves around people, the planet and profitability. Cooray has put his words into practice, as Jetwing Hotels is a classic example of how communities are integrated into a hotel.
Jetwing uses the winning concept of JYDP (Jetwing Youth Development Program) where rural youth are taken from the local village in which a new hotel is built, trained in hotel related skills and English language, and then gainfully employed.
He went on to elaborate the need for both, the private and government sector stakeholders in tourism to work together to achieve long term goals. One must incorporate economic, environmental and cultural sustainability, 2017 being the Year of Sustainable Travel.
CEO of SKIFT, USA Rafat Ali did a thought provoking presentation on the better use of social media and the internet to streamline hospitality services and connect people.
He said: “Digital marketing has transformed the travel industry. Travel and Tourism is the world’s third largest industry.
Trends keep changing. Today, local and authentic, experiential travel, is the way forward as guests want to genuinely partake of their local surroundings. In Sri Lanka, a few companies have come forward to give their guests a chance to indulge in the routine of village life. With the increase of the world’s middle class, experts assume that by 2031 we would have reached two billion tourists who would travel across the globe.
Another two areas in focus were adventure tourism and the community based model. Sri Lanka has been blessed with bountiful regions and terrains and must invest more in adventure bound destinations”.
Head of Destination Marketing for Trip Advisor, Sarah Mathews, spoke of how people validate reviews and comments of other travellers before they make their own destination choice. She said: “Trip Advisor has 290 people who share their travel experiences online every minute.
Today, hotels and travel agents must update their websites often with emphasis on volume, variety and velocity. Collection of guest comments provides useful data for research and upgrading hotel services.
Reservation trends are also changing as 78% of tourists have begun to make their own online reservations. Consumers are empowered by the web. People spend much time on their mobile phones using an assortment of apps. Globally, one in every five shop online”.
Another feature highlighted at the summit was how people enjoy dining out. Thus, food and beverage has become a top revenue earner as people desire interaction over a succulent value for meal. Some of the delegates I spoke to were keen to find more information about the cultural heritage and tourist attractions of the North and the East.
The former has great untapped destinations including a cluster of serene islands.
The Colombo city must also bring in value added entertainment and street dining for guests to enjoy at night. Sri Lankan tourism has withstood and proudly overcome many daunting challenges.
We are a resilient people with radiant smiles. With top global brand hotels opening in Colombo and elegant boutique hotels already in operation our motherland is on the way to consolidate her position as a preferred destination, globally.
