Sri Lanka has to play to its strengths: Kuoni UK Chief

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
The largest wholesale tour operator in the UK has commended the post-war tourism infrastructure progress, but emphasised Sri Lanka needs to play to its strength to increase the flow.
Kuoni Managing Director UK Derek Jones who was in Colombo recently, in an exclusive interview with the Daily FT, said: “Sri Lanka needs to play to its strengths. For leisure travel, it is in a competitive market. We sell 88 destinations around the world so there is a lot of choice for outbound customers. In my view, each destination has to find its own unique selling point.”
Stating that the massive development in tourism infrastructure can only be good, he noted the quality of accommodation improved drastically, presenting greater opportunities to bring in more travellers.
Jones, who was in Sri Lanka together with 35 store managers from the UK on a familiarisation trip, pointed out that the nation was ahead of many destinations as it presented a variety of opportunities that allowed a traveller to choose from a range of holiday types.
“There is so much to do in one island. There is so much variation. However, there are few destinations like this that have a concentrated collection of many different opportunities in a single visit. You need to find a way to communicate that, embrace that and engage. Sri Lanka is certainly in a competitive space, but it is it a very good position to capitalise on the opportunities it has,” observed Jones.
He shared that Kuoni is in discussions with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board to partner it for promotion activities that will help sell Sri Lanka more effectively as a destination.
“We would love to work more closely with Sri Lanka as we feel there is more opportunity for us to partner with the Tourist Board. It is not just about selling the destination but it is a course of action that is necessary. Hopefully we can do more of that,” he expressed.
Whittall Boustead (Travel), a member of John Keells Group, has been exclusively handling Kuoni Travel since 1993.

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
The largest wholesale tour operator in the UK has commended the post-war tourism infrastructure progress, but emphasised Sri Lanka needs to play to its strength to increase the flow.
Kuoni Managing Director UK Derek Jones who was in Colombo recently, in an exclusive interview with the Daily FT, said: “Sri Lanka needs to play to its strengths. For leisure travel, it is in a competitive market. We sell 88 destinations around the world so there is a lot of choice for outbound customers. In my view, each destination has to find its own unique selling point.”
Stating that the massive development in tourism infrastructure can only be good, he noted the quality of accommodation improved drastically, presenting greater opportunities to bring in more travellers.
Jones, who was in Sri Lanka together with 35 store managers from the UK on a familiarisation trip, pointed out that the nation was ahead of many destinations as it presented a variety of opportunities that allowed a traveller to choose from a range of holiday types.
Sri Lanka…
“There is so much to do in one island. There is so much variation. However, there are few destinations like this that have a concentrated collection of many different opportunities in a single visit. You need to find a way to communicate that, embrace that and engage. Sri Lanka is certainly in a competitive space, but it is it a very good position to capitalise on the opportunities it has,” observed Jones.
He shared that Kuoni is in discussions with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board to partner it for promotion activities that will help sell Sri Lanka more effectively as a destination.
“We would love to work more closely with Sri Lanka as we feel there is more opportunity for us to partner with the Tourist Board. It is not just about selling the destination but it is a course of action that is necessary. Hopefully we can do more of that,” he expressed.
Whittall Boustead (Travel), a member of John Keells Group, has been exclusively handling Kuoni Travel since 1993. See full interview on page 8.