Before we go any further, let's define things so that we are all on the same page. It's important to realise that Sri Lanka has some home-grown definitions of tourism terms that are not understood by foreigners. 'Hotel' is possibly the most common example, but there are many others. Misinformation and frustration can be avoided if you use the same terms for things that your target market does.
The following definitions are those generally used by the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and/or the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO):
Tourism
A social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure
Using this definition, we can see that tourism is the movement of people for a number of purposes (whether business or pleasure).
Tourist
Someone who travels at least 80 km from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or leisure or other reasons.
As we have already seen, tourists can be:
- Domestic (residents of a given country travelling only within that country)
- Inbound (non-residents travelling in a given country)
- Outbound (residents of one country travelling in another country)
Visitor
A visitor is a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than travelling to be a full-time student or to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited. A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist, if his/her trip includes an overnight stay.
International visitor
An international traveller qualifies as an international visitor with respect to the country of reference if:
- he/she is on a tourism trip, and
- he/she is a non-resident travelling in the country of reference or a resident travelling outside of it.
To clarify further, the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) excludes the following from the definition of "International Visitor"
- All persons arriving with a specific purpose of engaging themselves in gainful occupation, full-time studying or to establish residence in Sri Lanka irrespective of their length of stay.
- Diplomatic personnel.
- Crews of ships and aircraft even if they stay for one night or more.
- Dependents of temporary immigrants and children below three years.
Excursionist
In Sri Lanka's tourism statistics, excursionists consist almost exclusively of passengers on sea cruises who come on shore for purposes of sightseeing, shopping, etc. while the ship is in harbour. They do not spend the night on land in Sri Lanka.
Tourist arrivals
Every single visit (or entry) of a tourist to the country either in the course of the same trip or in the course of different trips is counted as a "tourist arrival", provided the visit (or entry) lasts at least one night in the country.
Tourist night
A night spent in Sri Lanka by a tourist in any type of immobile accommodation.
Guest night
A night spent in a hotel, rest house or guest house approved by the SLTDA as being suitable for occupation by foreign visitors.
Hospitality
Helping people to feel welcome and relaxed and to enjoy themselves.
Hospitality industry
We refer to the accommodation and food and beverage services sectors together as the hospitality industry.
This subset of the tourism industry includes
- Overnight accommodation for people travelling away from home, and
- Options for people dining outside their home
Accommodation types
Sri Lanka's domestic population has developed a few accommodation type definitions that are not in keeping with the understandings of most international tourists. Though different people, groups and websites have different definitions, it is really important that you follow the definitions most commonly used by your target market.
Hotel
Almost all international travellers agree vaguely on what a hotel is: a place with multiple rooms that offers accommodation and, possibly, food.
That's very different to the Sri Lankan use of the word seen on many roadside signs, right?
The Sri Lankan Government, on the other hand, has gazetted very detailed and specific descriptions of the minimum requirements for an accommodation establishment to be described as a hotel, including:
- The hotel shall have a minimum of 10 bedrooms with attached bathrooms.
- The hotel shall have a separate service entrance.
- There should be an adequate supply of good quality water.
- Hotel or building with more than three floors including the ground floor shall have a guest elevator/s adequate to meet the requirements of the guests.
- The size of the bedroom (excluding attached balcony and toilet) shall be as follows:
- For five-, four- and three-star categories: a minimum of 22 sq.m.
- For two- and one-star categories: a minimum of 17 sq.m.
- The width of the room shall not be less than 3.0 m. (excluding attached balcony and toilet).
- The main entrance door of the bedroom shall lock automatically when pulled shut.
- A plan of the building indicating the emergency exit path shall be prominently displayed on the inner surface of the entrance door.
- Every bathroom should be at least 3.7 sq.m. in area.Natural or mechanical means shall be placed to remove stale air effectively from bathrooms.
- An adequate number of spacious housekeeping pantries with running hot and cold water shall be provided for smooth and efficient guest service.
- Hotels having space restrictions to provide these facilities must make alternate arrangements in close proximity to the bed rooms to carry out the relevant functions.
- Restaurant facility for resident guests shall be available
- There should be an a-la-carte menu.
Let's now take a closer look at three types of hotel that have emerged to meet specific market needs: budget hotels, boutique hotels, and resorts.
Budget hotels: Because this is aimed at people with more limited budgets - i.e. they want to pay less per night - these offer basic services with limited food and beverage facilities.
Boutique hotels: Sri Lanka has no industry standards to define boutique hotels, but these hotels generally share some common features. These include having fewer rooms and featuring a distinctive design style and on-site food and beverage options. As a reflection of the size of the hotel, a boutique hotel is typically intimate and has an easily identifiable atmosphere, such as classic, luxurious, quirky, or funky.
Resorts: A resort is a full-service hotel that provides access to or offers a range of recreation facilities and amenities. A resort is typically the primary provider of the guest experience and will generally have one signature amenity or attraction. Sri Lankan examples of signature amenities include beach and ocean, countryside, or spa and wellness.
Supplementary accommodation
In addition to hotel accommodation, which meets the stringent standards gazetted by government, half (49.66% in 2017) of Sri Lanka's tourist nights were in a myriad of other forms, variously described as:
- Boutique villas
- Guest houses
- Rest houses
- Home stays
- Tourist bungalows
- Rented tourist homes
- Rented tourist apartments
- Heritage bungalows/homes
In 2017 the figures for this type of accommodation grew to 6,204,126, showing an increase of 14.8% when compared with 5,404,602 nights in the year 2016.
Key agencies
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Agency (SLTDA)
The official institution tasked with establishing, positioning, and developing Sri Lanka as a leading destination for international visitors. SLTDA is responsible for tapping into Sri Lanka's natural potential to expand and enhance its tourism offering while benefitting investors and supporting communities, in a sustainable manner.
The Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM)
The only government-approved premier Institute in Sri Lanka, established by the government in 1964 to train young men and women in the complex field of Hospitality and Travel Industry. SLITHM is managed by the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs. Further, in order to facilitate students island-wide, provincial schools have been set up in Anuradhapura, Bandarawela, Pallekelle, Koggala, Ratnapura, Kurunegala and Pasikudah.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)
The government body responsible for handling all marketing and promotional activities related to the travel and tourism industry of Sri Lanka. The Bureau comprises representatives from the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism etc.
SLTPB's main objectives are the marketing and promoting of Sri Lanka directly and indirectly as a tourist and travel destination of quality specified in accordance with the Tourism Development Plan in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau and Sri Lanka Institute of Hotel Management and with all travel and tourism stakeholders. These efforts are focused to promote Sri Lanka as a gateway to the South Asian Regions and making Sri Lanka known as the centre of excellence in tourism management and development in the region.