Supporting Accelerated Investment In Sri Lanka (SAIL) Project: Marketing Tourism and Post-Recovery

The project is a collaboration between the International Development Group LLC and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project's primary objective is to support the Sri Lankan government in rebuilding the tourism industry, which was severely impacted by the Easter attacks in 2019. The SAIL project works closely with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to implement business process reengineering and case management to increase foreign direct investment. The project also focuses on promoting tourism in four key markets: the UK, Germany, India, and China. The SLTDA has appointed Johanne Jayaratne as its new leader, who will focus on tourism promotion and recovery in these key markets. The project has identified several challenges in the tourism sector, including a delay in the government's crisis communications response to the international community. To address this, the private sector has taken the initiative to create a campaign called "Love Sri Lanka," which aims to provide a recovery bridge message on the security of tourists. The campaign includes testimonials from tourists and expats, as well as a Facebook, Twitter, and blog-based website. The project also recognizes the importance of data-driven marketing decision-making. The Tourism Alliance is partnering with Antyra Solutions to analyze search engine data and questions to determine the level and location of tourism concerns. Additionally, the project is exploring the use of data from McKenzie, a Telco company, and MasterCard to determine spending amounts, country of origin, and travel locations of tourists. The project has also identified the need for a behavior change campaign to promote a positive narrative during the upcoming elections. The goal is to have tourism bodies and independent operators communicate with party officials to keep the peace and promote a positive image of Sri Lanka. The project is working with IFES, PAFFREL, and The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence to achieve this goal. The "Tourism Strategic Plan" continues to be the roadmap for change and improvements in the tourism industry. However, the project recognizes that the plan's volume of recommendations and actions makes it difficult for the government and private sector to identify priorities. The project suggests that the government review the recommendations and select a few items to focus on, such as the YouLead and SAIL initiatives. The project has outlined several action steps to achieve its objectives, including: * Aarthi Dharmadas, a SAIL staff member, will continue to serve as a bridge between the "Love Sri Lanka" private sector campaign, the SLTDA, and the Tourism Marketing Board. * The government will need to determine how to handle the marketing budget, with input from the Australian Tourism Board and the Deputy Mayor of Paris, supported by the World Bank. * The data generated by Love Sri Lanka will be shared with the government to influence their marketing campaign. * The government will need to package the relief package better for the website, with a recommended design being shared with the Director General and spearheaded by Parami Fernando. Overall, the SAIL project aims to support the Sri Lankan government in rebuilding the tourism industry and promoting a positive image of the country. The project recognizes the importance of data-driven marketing decision-making and the need for a behavior change campaign to promote a positive narrative during the upcoming elections.