Thread by @wutdfark

My 2 cents on the Nas Daily video & the challenges Sri Lanka faces as a tourist destination.

I've worked for over 3 years directly in the tourism sector (Aman Resorts & Resplendent Ceylon) & indirectly with various industries over 15 years to promote business/ tourism to SL

Even as a student at uni in Melbourne, folks who don't know anything about SL will look to you for "real" info. In effect every Lankan becomes a brand ambassador.
How you behave, speak, etc. becomes a reflection of our tiny isle & honestly, it can get pretty exhausting sometimes

Depending on the questions you're being asked (& who's asking), it's always best to be honest. The worst thing you can do, is lie to cover up flaws. They may bait you & you end up being embarrassed (it happens to our ministers all the time).
One of the most important lessons...

...in Marketing, is that the best lies are the ones closest to the truth.
I've exclusively dealt with high net worth clients.
They pay top $ & expect value for money. These are also ppl who travel regularly, all around the world & will compare SL to other destinations.

If they like a particular place, you can bet that'll translate to positive word of mouth (with their friends & fam) which is the best form of advertising & free to boot!
Similarly, if they have a bad experience, you can kiss your brand's reputation goodbye...

There are also differences/similarities in how sectors spend. Eg. European & Japanese tourists are very patient/understanding/ kind provided they don't feel they're being lied to. They also understand a valuable thing is a little bit more costly.
If u want monkeys, u pay peanuts.

American tourists are frugal. They'll look to squeeze extras out of you. If however they like their first experience with you, you'll end up with a customer for life. Not only will they keep coming back, they'll aggressively market SL to their friends & fam to come as well.

Middle Eastern tourists are very demanding. They're spoiled for choice & luxuries in their own countries & only want the the most convenient & best of everything.
They also do something no one else does. They prefer to pay everything upfront & not spend additionally...

...when they land. They love all inclusive packages. Very, very rarely, will they spend additionally.
I've worked with a few budget travellers & they're all the same irrespective of which country they're from in terms of spending habits.
They want to experience at the least cost.

The Nas video is great for small time hoteliers & SMEs who've buried their savings in trying to start their own businesses.
From a marketers POV, it's great for a nation that's struggling financially, especially the lil guy trying his best to make ends meet.

As a human being, I see why some folks would be pissed off as we live in a country that doesn't seem to want to make any real changes.
We have dodgy tourists looking for under aged children or cheap drugs & where there is a demand, there will be supply.

We have incidents like this...

dailymirror.lk/article/Dutch-…

Or this...
themorning.lk/chinese-touris…

Yet no one seems to want to take this seriously or deal with it.
Lankans love to hear compliments (to be buttered) but provide any form of constructive criticism & all of a sudden you're a terrorist or traitor.
How will the country ever prosper as a tourist destination...

...if the areas that need fixing are never discussed in an objective manner?
What's happening now is that hoteliers & SLTB try very hard to attract high net worth clients but those clients see more value in travelling to places like India, Maldives or the Far East.

With social media, travellers are also more aware of the ground realities of the countries they visit & SL maybe losing billions in revenue because women would feel unsafe travelling alone. We're also losing the LGBTQI market & maybe in the future, we'll lose Middle Eastern...

...clients. Tourism in a country is also related to the social fabric of the nation.
Eg, if local women are constantly harrassed & perverts/abusers are allowed carte blanche, then is it surprising that foreign women are also harrassed?
If the law doesn't work for one, it won't...

...work for the other.
While I appreciate the positive vids of SL & the acts of kindness of the community, let's not forget that we live a country that once ran baby farms & child brothels & let us individuals, demand from our governments a better standard of living for all.