“Have faith in Sri Lanka and raise the bar for her ” – Hiran Cooray-BY RANDIMA ATTYGALLE
Source:Island
In an interview with the Sunday Island, Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Symphony PLC and the Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Tourism, moots a sustainable branding campaign to position Sri Lanka as a destination like no other while encouraging the industry to go off-the-beaten-track in promoting less traversed parts of the country. The hospitality leader who takes prides in our innate skills calls on fellow Lankans to stand by the island in these turbulent times and contribute to recovery as partners in development.
Q: How do you see the Lankan tourism picture in these testing times?
A: The situation right now is much better than it was and we can have hope. Since last October Lankans started traveling and we also started receiving small numbers of foreign tourists those small numbers keep increasing. So we see a reasonably good December and if this trend continues, from January 2022 we can expect Sri Lanka to receive a healthy flow of foreign arrivals. So from zero to where we are right now, it is certainly a positive forecast that we have before us.
Q: We have gone through many catastrophes in the past – communal riots, a civil war, a tsunami and Easter Sunday bombings. Having seen that, what are your thoughts about the challenges the pandemic that has taken an unprecedented toll on tourism going to present us?
A: This is probably the worst ever catastrophe the tourism industry has globally faced. As you said, from natural disasters to terrorism, fuel price increases, government tax increases – you name it- we have gone through it all, but nothing has brought the industry down to this level. The tourism industry contributes 11% of the global GDP and employs 10 to 12% of the global workforce. The hit on such an industry is enormous. We being an island depend on air travel and the impact it has had on tourist traffic is colossal. I fervently hope that we will not go through a catastrophe of this magnitude for the next hundred years or more!
Q: As the Chair to the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Tourism what are your observations about the partnerships, collaborations and other initiatives promoted by the Ministry?
A: I’m happy to note that the Ministry is steered by an easily accessible Minister who is also a very good listener. He understands the plight we are in and has worked with the authorities concerned to have the country open for tourism; he has appealed on our behalf to get moratoriums extended and lobbied for the optimal benefits the government can provide all stakeholders of the industry. The Minister has been very supportive and now we are working on a tourism promotion plan. On all fronts it has been a positive effort despite difficulties.
Q: Going beyond tourism, what lessons do you draw from this pandemic for us all?
A: We can never plan for a fatality of this nature but we can be a little bit more cautious in future planning. I think all of us have been taking our health and safety for granted and the pandemic has pushed us to revisit our lives- not to have too many dreams and plans and not to get depressed when the unforeseen happens. Another lesson we learnt is about lifestyle change and building immunity. We can’t move on in the same way that we used to. The pandemic made us realize that to build our immunity, we should not only cultivate healthy food habits but we also need to strengthen our physical, mental and the spiritual well being. This shift towards holistic health is something we are working on very seriously right now and promoting among our teams with the support of doctors and other professionals because protecting yourself means you are protecting the others as well.
The pandemic also opened our eyes to the reality that the WHO has been propagating: ‘no one is safe until everyone else is safe’. Sadly, countries have not been working collectively to come out of this dilemma but on the other hand, they have been fiercely competing with each other. Everyone wants to do better than the rest and as a result we are still saddled with this variant and that. Had the world leaders come together to find common solutions, had they worked amiably supporting the WHO as well, all of us would have got out of this faster.
Q: What is your stance on travel restrictions both locally and globally?
A: I have never been a believer of travel restrictions because it has been proven futile in some of the countries. I personally think that too many travel restrictions will hinder both domestic and international development. While it is very important to be conscious of your health and safety, lesser restrictions we have, better it will be. Responsible citizenry should be the way forward than imposing travel restrictions. In terms of international traffic too, as long as tourists are COVID-free, they should be free to travel, adhering to all health and safety protocols.
Q: Some of the local resorts are being promoted as ‘overseas tourists-only’ destinations, undermining the local tourist. But the pandemic as well as the war times proved that the contribution of the local tourist to the sector cannot be undermined. What are your thoughts?
A: We at Jetwing have always taken Lankan tourists very seriously and looked after them. If we look at Jetwing’s occupancy, just before the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019, we had one of the best years. The contribution of local tourists to our business was at 25%. The companies which do not accommodate local tourists may have suffered more when Lankans were allowed to travel after the first and the second waves of the pandemic, yet who couldn’t patronize such destinations. In future I hope everybody in the hospitality and tourism sector will treat everyone equally without discriminating against local tourist.
Q: How can Sri Lankan tourism present a new image of itself by effective branding?
A: It is very sad that over the years we have never positioned our country in a sustainable way. For a small island we offer literary everything other than snow! We offer history, culture, mountains, beaches, tea, spices; you name it, we have it all. But sadly we have never branded our island and as a result we are continuing to receive low-budget tourists. I’m not at all against them, but instead of counting heads, we should be counting revenue per tourist. And if we can increase our revenue we can do well. There is a plan being drawn to strengthen promoting and positioning the country and I fervently hope that this plan will be sustained.
We need tourists not only to pay back the sovereign loans we have taken but also to filter down the earnings to all stakeholders of the industry. About two and a half to three million Lankans depend on tourism; it lifts the economy and the morale of people, hence it is imperative that we get the wheels in motion very fast from the next year at least.
Q: You have always been vocal about the need to brand the island as ‘Sri Lanka’ as opposed to Ceylon. Could you elaborate on this?
A: This is something for which we can’t find an overnight solution but we need to start discussing it seriously. We have a tendency to associate luxury with the name Ceylon and the ‘Ceylon list’ runs long from Ceylon Tea, Ceylon Cinnamon, Ceylon Sapphire etc. While branding these, we also promote Sri Lankan Tourism, Sri Lankan Cricket and Sri Lankan Garments.
Either we have to feel proud of the ‘Sri Lankan’ brand image and get on with it or revert to Ceylon once again if that is a more romantic notion. We can’t be branding two names for the same country- something which concerns me a lot. There is a lot of confusion over this internationally and there have been instances where people have asked me on global platforms what exactly is name of my country!
A: In order to strengthen local tourism, how important it is to give muscle to supporting and other complementary sectors in the country?
A: I strongly believe that when it comes to promoting a destination, the national airline and the industry should work closely together. We need to do promotions in partnership with our national carrier and there are other sectors such as garments, tea, gems and jewellery, spices, etc. that we need to promote in a bid to strengthen local tourism. When we go out and market the country, more we collaborate, more benefits we will have. Then of course supporting infrastructure such as transport needs to be improved. We also cannot undermine the importance of fostering a better sense of social responsibility and discipline among our people towards the environment. Hence, a very focused and a collaborative approach is essential if we are to develop Sri Lanka not only as a tourist hot spot but also as a progressive country.
Q: Finally, as a very positive-minded corporate leader and a Sri Lankan deeply rooted to the country what is your message to all Lankans during this time of adversity?
A: Both social and mainstream media is inundated with negative news today to the extreme of negativity superseding positivity. As Sri Lankans we need to have faith in our country. Without leaving our futures and destinies in the hands of a few, we all need to be partners in lifting the economy of the country in whatever way we could. It is very disheartening to see lots of young people leaving this country at the time they are most needed at home. I have been to nearly 100 countries and I still cannot find a better place than this island of ours. Hence, I reiterate, have faith in it and help raise the bar for it.
