Sri Lanka could lift tourist arrivals well beyond the present two to 2.5 million a year by running a dedicated marketing campaign in India and restoring lost air links such as the Colombo–Kolkata service, the Indian investor behind Taj Weligama and Otherland Galle has said, according to Mirror Business.

Beryll Group Managing Partner Vishal Agarwal spoke on the sidelines of a media preview of Otherland Galle, arguing that the authorities should promote the destination far more aggressively abroad, beginning with its nearest and largest source market.

“If the Sri Lankan government runs a campaign in India, it will really transform. Very soon it can grow from two to 2.5 million to three, four, five million, because India has a huge population.”

He called India “the lowest hanging fruit because it’s so close to Sri Lanka”.

India is already the largest source market

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority figures bear out the scale of the Indian market. India accounted for 51,931 of the 158,557 tourists who arrived in September — close to a third — while its 431,162 arrivals up to 27 September made up 25.7 percent of the 1,678,745 recorded for the year to that date.

Agarwal argued the market is nonetheless under-tapped, noting that Sri Lanka has gone more than a decade without a global destination marketing campaign. He also urged the government to pursue higher spending per visitor rather than chasing headline arrival numbers.

“It’s such a beautiful country you have over here. We just need to sell it.”

He singled out Rumassala, the hill overlooking Galle harbour that the Ramayana associates with Hanuman, as an overlooked draw: “I am surprised nobody even in the government mentions Rumassala. For Indians, it’s a big thing. It should be included in the Ramayana trail and promoted.”

The missing Kolkata route

On air connectivity the Kolkata-based investor was critical, noting that travellers from eastern India must now route through Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bengaluru.

SriLankan Airlines flew to Kolkata three times a week from 2017 until March 2020, and Agarwal called on the national carrier to restore at least that frequency: “They have already operated on that sector, so they must be aware what kind of market they have.”

He had no complaint about the visa regime, observing that tourist visas for Indians are free, although travellers must now apply for an electronic travel authorisation.

Context

The remarks come from an investor with money already committed in Sri Lanka, and should be read as such — a case for public marketing spending and a route restoration that would both benefit his own properties. The underlying arrival figures, however, are the tourism authority’s own.

Not reported

The filing does not say what a dedicated India campaign would cost or whether the government has any such plan, and carries no response from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the Tourism Ministry or SriLankan Airlines on either the campaign or the Kolkata route.

It does not give Sri Lanka’s current average spend per tourist, state the target Agarwal thinks achievable, or say why the Kolkata service was not resumed after March 2020. No arrivals or investment figure is given for Otherland Galle, and no date is reported for its opening.

This account rests on a single verified newsroom. It is an interview given to Mirror Business, and no other outlet would be expected to carry it.

Source: Daily Mirror.