Sri Lanka Tourism, go back to basics

THE reality of business is that we have to be strongly data driven as consumer lifestyles are constantly changing and companies have to adopt.

- By Rohantha Athukorala

An important point to note is that some data is better than having no data when making business decisions.

It is strange but there are instances when data is shown, people find it hard to believe the reality and the focus changes to the authenticity of the information rather than trying to find an insight. When it comes to tourism we have data that is shared by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority( SLTDA) and Central Bank. Global trends on traveller behaviour can be understood by data shared by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). I strongly feel that the Sri Lanka tourism Industry must pause for a while and take stock of the data and understand the reality before chasing the 3 million visitor target that will bring in the estimated $5 billion to the country.

The ABC of business management is Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning, popularly called STP. In simple words what this means is: who are the consumers the company is targeting and why are they attracted to a company's propositionproduct and brand promise. Then comes the more important decision: what is the single minded idea we want them to have after experiencing our brand. We call this the ABC of business.

Whilst it may sound very scientific and complex. A simple supermarket manager with just an advanced level qualification close to our home practices it with absolute precision. He knows who the customer is, what product range they buy, how often they visit the supermarket and what to say to get their attention. He is also aware of the “ perception” a typical housewife has on other supermarket brands in the neighbourhood. In other words he practices the ABC of business management.

What Sri Lanka Tourism needs to do is the same. If we look at the data that has been shared of the industry in the last three months, we see how the fundamentals have moved not by design to accident.