Against the backdrop of a drop in tourist arrivals from traditional markets, General Manager of The Blue Water Roshan Perera is of the opinion that, with the emergence of non-traditional markets, arrivals will pick up sooner rather than later.

Touching on the damage caused by travel advisories, he concedes that they have a negative effect on any tourism destination and that Sri Lanka is no exception.

“It is important for us to keep our business partners overseas informed as to which parts of the island are actually affected by the conflict. Our foreign missions, together with tourism counterparts in those countries, could play a vital role in softening the effect of these advisories or minimising the negative impact that they could have on the destination,” he says.

Elaborating on this, he tells LMD – in the February issue of the pioneering business journal, which is now available at selected bookstores and supermarkets – that those who are loyal to the destination continue to work for us, despite the difficult times and negative responses.

“This is especially the case with British tour operators. European tour operators in general work very hard in order to increase inbound tourist traffic,” he adds.

Discussing continuing investment in tourism, Perera states that this is a positive sign.

“What is important is to encourage investment by allocating development plots on long-term leases, as short-term leases (say, of 30 years) will not encourage investors, since recovery of investment in this sector is long term. We are fighting to attract levels of investment that are on par with competitors such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, as these countries offer investors very attractive opportunities through long-term leasing of land, duty concessions and so on,” he asserts.

Asked where he sees the industry five to 10 years down the line, Perera responds, “If we look at the situation from 2009 to 2012, and then 2012 to 2015, I feel that there will be a dramatic shift, with the war ending. We definitely have to focus on infrastructure development, training industry professionals, open skies, attracting intra-regional travel and attracting more cruise liners to our shores, developing tourist attractions and putting in place the right facilities for travellers.” The exclusive interview is published in full in LMD – a Media Services publication.