The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) recently hosted a Sustainable Niche Tourism Learning Expo for small businesses in the tourism industry.
The Learning Expo, which was held at Cinnamon Grand in Colombo, attracted over 200 small businesses and allied stakeholders, and was the first in a series of similar events to be held across the country. Small tourism businesses learned about digital marketing, travel trends, and how to incorporate sustainability into their daily operations. Participants also had access to mentoring sessions with industry trailblazers and received toolkits focused on product development, marketing, promotions, and sustainability.
Sri Lanka’s diverse tourism offerings hold immense potential for small businesses to cater to the demands of both international and domestic travellers. To establish a thriving tourism sector, it is vital to empower small business owners to innovate, refine their products, and deliver sustainable guest experiences aligned with traveler expectations.
Tourism is critical to Sri Lanka’s economy as it exits the pandemic and deals with its internal economic crisis. Pre-pandemic tourism represented 12 percent of the country’s GDP, generating US $4.3 billion in revenue in 2018 and providing employment for three million people. Sri Lanka is currently experiencing an encouraging rebound in tourist arrivals and celebrated the landmark achievement of welcoming its one millionth visitor in the last week of September.
The Learning Expo is a direct follow-on of the launch of 12 new niche tourism categories in June this year, toenhance the competitiveness of small businesses and allow Sri Lanka to better establish its brand identity, increase its appeal and market share, create jobs and opportunities across the tourism sector, and generate much-needed foreign exchange.Niche tourism allows a destination to provide more inclusive opportunities for women, minority communities, and other disadvantaged groups by creating opportunities for them to participate in their own unique way.
“USAID is pleased to have had a hand in launching the new sustainable niche tourism strategy and I am truly delighted to be able to be present to day to observe first-hand the remarkable progress that has been made in this short time,” said Christopher Powers, Director of the Office of Economic Growth, USAID Mission to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
“Sustainable niche tourism is key to building a resilient and inclusive tourism industry that responds to international and domestic travel needs. I’ve been fortunate to experience some of these niche tourism products myself, and I am happy that we can help others around the world learn about the many things Sri Lanka has to offer,” he said.
