South Korea is the new tourism interest of Sri Lanka

Published on : Wednesday, September 30, 2015

c-300x224Dr Rohantha Athukorala Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau remarked that South Korea is ranked as one of Asia’s ‘economic tigers’.  With per capita GDP rising to around US$23,000 which has made international travel possible for a large numbers of people which is where Sri Lanka is focusing on, he said this while addressing a 16 member South Korean Tour group at OZO hotel yesterday. I thank the 36 Sri Lankan Destination Marketing Companies (DMC’s) who came for the B2B sessions. Let’s turn this market around and make it worth 50,000 visitors from the current 13,000 he said.

 

 

The record 14 million trips last year was equivalent to one in four of the population – at an outbound travel intensity of 26%. This is substantially higher than that in Japan (13%) but is rather low by world standards, in relation to GDP per capita said Athukorala but we in Sri Lanka must target the $250 traveller than just numbers

 

 

International travel expenditure (excluding transport) fell from a peak of US$22.0 billion in 2008 to just US$15 billion in 2009, and has since recovered only partially, to US$20.1 billion. UNWTO ranked South Korea 14th in the world on this basis in 2007, but 17th in 2009, 26th in 2010, 22nd in 2011 and 21st in 2012.

 

 

The great majority of trips are to Asian destinations – the top 12 destinations are all Asian, with the exception of the USA. Europe is still regarded by most people as a ‘once in a lifetime’ destination and attracts fewer than 1million Koreans a year. However, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK usually rank among the top 25 destinations and industry players believe the growth potential for island nations like Sri Lanka as an exotic destination.

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