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 iche
marketing is the latest trend in tourism and is a fast-growing phenomenon
the world over. As Prasanna Jayewardene – the chairman of Sanasuma
Developments and Tropical Pleasure – says, niche tourism (as the phrase
denotes) is a “particular niche within the broad spectrum of tourism which
is fast becoming the biggest industry in the world”.
But why all the sudden hype and hoopla
surrounding this paradigm? Is it that tourism per se has lost its appeal
to the globetrotter?
Not exactly. Jayewardene attributes the
higher demand for specialities to the growing sophistication of tourists.
Varied preferences and interests partly spurred on by (ironically)
globalisation restri-ctions, whereby space and all that is natural is
scarce, have added to the impetus. The hotelier opines: “Travel is
probably the biggest drug there is – everybody wants to travel. It
transcends all borders.”
Niche tourism largely embraces cultural
and environmental tourism, and is a specialist product requiring expert
know-how. “In any market, a niche is a specific segment, usually with a
well-defined product that can be tailored to meet the interests of the
customer. In the case of Scottish tourism, examples might include golf,
genealogy, whisky tours, wildlife or field sports,” reveals a 2002 brief
of The Information Centre of the Scottish parliament, for example. These
are clearly defined niches and the Scots tourism industry obviously has a
comprehensive strategy to net in niche tourists – who, incidentally, are
high spenders in comparison to mass tourists.
What, then, are Sri Lanka’s niches and
what is the island-nation’s strategy to attract niche tourists? According
to Jayewardene, we do not yet have a clear understanding of niches within
our country which could be marketed as speciality tourist products.
“Everybody says Sri Lanka is special, but no one – including myself
– completely understands what constitutes the charm of
Sri Lanka.
Once this is understood, the niches have to be figured out. We have
numerous niches, but we are still only touching on limited areas
such as nature and biodiversity,” observes Jayewardene.
It is interesting to note that Victoria,
which is but a state in Australia, has its own racing-tourism plan. “While
racing events and attractions are promoted and sold through mainstream
tourism programmes, there are a number of establishments and particular
aspects of the Victorian thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing
industries that are of interest specifically to those involved with the
racing community,” states the website of Tourism Victoria.
Sri Lanka tourism – although synonymous
with sun, sea and sand – has a long way to go to cash in on the full
benefits of niche tourism. Key to this would be formulating a viable
strategy compiled by intellectuals and economists, avers Jayewardene.
Why intellectuals and economists?
“Because the tourism lobby does not know
enough about the industry,” he declares, underscoring this view by
revealing that only a handful of those in the industry have degrees or
qualifications relating to tourism.
Discussing the macro and micro niche
areas that could be marketed, Jayewardene points to facets of our culture
and environment which many have either long been forgotten or are no
longer found to be appealing due to familiarity. Within the macro niche of
our natural bounty and biodiversity, he advocates micro specialities.
“Take, for instance, the flying fox or the bat. This creature is so common
to us that we do not even give it a second glance. But to a visitor, it is
fascinating. The elephant alone does not constitute our biodiversity. The
country is abundant in its biodiversity. Many still do not know that we
have leopards, bears, porcupines, otters or even hornbills, which latter
are categorised amongst the most exotic birds in the world. The total
biodiversity in the country is not quite understood. We also have the
loris – this is a very exotic animal and it has many legends behind it.
Most of our animals are associated with various legends, which increases
their appeal and is a feature that could be highlighted to potential
tourists,” he elaborates.
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We say Sigiriya is a world heritage
site and the
eighth wonder of the world. But the whole
of Sri Lanka is an archaeological site… |
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Jayewardene muses: “The niches within our
biodiversity itself have not been explored. We only talk of the bigger
animals. Even the buffalo is an exotic animal – it could be placed in the
same category as the yak or bison. It is very different to a normal bull
or cow. What about the singing fish of Batticaloa? Sadly for us,
Batticaloa is a war zone and so the singing fish are forgotten.”
Our archaeology, he emphasises, is
another feature that has not been explored. “We say Sigiriya is a world
heritage site and the eighth wonder of the world. But the whole of
Sri Lanka is an archaeological
site.” He affirms: “This
country has an interesting history. We have forgotten a lot of things
because we have been fighting a war.” Nevertheless, he acknowledges: “We
are going through a process of change vis-à-vis upward mobility.”
Harking back to our rich history,
Jayewardene notes that much of Sri Lankan history is rife with alluring
legends. This, too, is a niche and is extremely appealing to a certain
type of traveller.
“When you study the country in-depth, you
find so many niches that are fascinating to a wide range of people. We are
currently only scratching the surface,” he insists.
“Also consider the diversity of our
ethnic groups and their interesting sociological backgrounds. Jaffna is
virtually another world – a very interesting one with regard to
architecture, lifestyle and food. We are not highlighting our diversity,”
he elaborates. And Jayewardene’s list of possible niches is inexhaustible.
“Consider the pre-Sinhala, pre-Buddhist era of this country,” he says,
citing the fascinating story of Kuveni, who was spinning cotton
when Vijaya landed. “Our history and legends also constitute a distinct
niche,” he avers, adding: “These are not just legends to keep tourists
happy; these are the legends we believe in.”
He also highlights the various art, music
and dance forms practised in this country. “We have Kandyan dancing,
low-country folk dancing, so many different art and music forms which we
are ignoring… those are the niches that the sophisticated traveller
loves,” he enthuses.
“When you consider global trends in niche
tourism, you will observe that travellers are becoming more sophisticated
and would like to see more attractions that are of intellectual interest.
And this is where Sri Lanka can score. We have a depth which we do not
have to fabricate,” he affirms.
Nevertheless, these varied
special-interest tourism products need to be developed and marketed more
adequately. “The people who drive tourism must be intellectuals and
economists. Driving tourism must be an intellectual exercise which
perceives the best of a country, without disturbing its people. On the
other hand, it must be economically viable for the people. It is not a
subsidy for tourism. We must make a business out of it. Then, the revenue
generated could be utilised for pension schemes and better education for
our people. Tourism should benefit those in the industry and the country
as a whole,” he advocates.
As for the process of marketing the
various niches, Jayewardene maintains: “We must all drive this marketing
process. The onus cannot be placed on the government or private sector
alone.” However, he states that although “there is a serious drive
stemming from our limited knowledge”, the inclusion of
intellectuals and economists among national-tourism policy makers would
definitely augur well for Sri Lanka tourism.
Comparing the nation’s tourism rates and
tariffs with the standard of the products on offer, he avers that we are
“not yet on par with the world”, but is confident that our prospects are
beginning to improve. “I think the rates must increase. But this cannot
take place overnight. You must offer niche tourists what they want. But
first, they must know what’s on offer. So marketing has to precede
the product, but the product must follow very closely… and I think it is
happening,” he concedes.
Jayewardene also believes that niche
tourism could one day overtake mass tourism in terms of revenue generation
and numbers. And on a more critical note, he states: “We have 500,000 or
so arrivals – it’s a joke. Even the Kashmir valley, which is at war, has
500,000 arrivals! We do not have tourism in this country – we only
have some tourist arrivals. To make tourism a vibrant industry, you
have to push the process and believe in it. Often, people say that our
infrastructure is not good. But not many tourists complain about
travelling out of Colombo, because it is a beautiful journey. We should
use what we have and move forward until the desired elements fall into
place, rather than wait for a perfect situation. We are looking for a
perfect situation because we do not have the drive that the people who
came into this business in the late ’60s and early ’70s had.”
And he reiterates: “We must first
learn the product, then stop blaming the government and
finally, know how to paddle our own boat.” |
