Out of the Box 10 - That powerful competitive edge

By Renton de Alwis

I repost this ‘Out of the Box’  column I wrote in the ‘Daily Financial Times, Sri Lanka’ in March 2010, with an appeal to all to use our competitive advantage to the fullest, while saluting those tourism leaders among us for the resolve and courage they have to make it happen.

 

Hiran Corray, I would rate to be Sri Lanka’s most dynamic hotelier and tourism leader of this generation. On his return from the annual marketing pilgrimage of tourism promoters, the ITB in Berlin this year, he had this to say on his Facebook wall; written perhaps on a stop at an airport. “Returning home after a very successful ITB in Berlin. Felt so good that Sri Lanka is back on the tourism map, we thank everybody for supporting us and keeping us going during the tough times. Now it’s our opportunity to build a strong tourism product in our beautiful Island. Ayubowan”.

In my column today, I choose to salute Hiran on his Facebook wall comment and for the resolve he has to take on the challenge to build a strong tourism future for Sri Lanka. In the same breath, I take you further to explore another friend’s thoughts on the true meaning of travel and tourism and how a destination can aim to harness the power of its competitive edge.

You will see that Hiran’s comments are of an elated Sri Lankan feeling deeply for Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery. He is returning home and is thankful that we survived the hard times, to now move on to good times. Yet, he asks for nothing, but only pledges to give. He calls on all to take on the challenge to build a strong tourism product in our beautiful island and concludes his comment with our own authentic greeting reflecting strongly; our ethos. With leaders the likes of you, Sri Lanka tourism can indeed be hopeful that we will not remain anymore within the limited domains of the ‘tourist trade’ but move further ahead to be among the best in the world in creating dream experiences within this great industry and human activity.

The other friend I quote is Anita Mendiratta of the CNN Task Group, who wrote a lead article on E-Travel News this week, also during the ITB. Talking of ‘blurring’ of travel experiences she had this to say “This is especially true for business travelers whose days can be strung together by itineraries dotted by that oh-so familiar pattern: airport, hotel, office, hotel, airport, home (maybe), airport, hotel, office, hotel, airport... and on and on it goes. So often the visas stamped in one’s passport feel undeserved as the place visited was not really "touched" at all”.

Referring further to leisure travel she says “Too much beach-hopping can turn to beach-blurring. Too long spent temple-touring can leave one all templed out. Too many days exploring ancient ruins can leave one feeling simply ruined. Shopping sprees in stylish city-centers can lead to shopping-induced zzzzzs. Too many hours game-viewing in the savannah can lead to game-gazing. Saturation of the senses is always a risk... for the traveler and for the destination”.

In a reference that can perhaps be attributed to a few the likes of Hiran in our tourism domain, Anita says “Yet it is "experiences" which tourism professionals across the world put forward to travelers to sell their destinations. From international trade shows to individual advertisements and CRM efforts, with all of their heart, imagination, budget, and inviting destinations; marketers showcase opportunities to do so much, see so much, take in so much, and take home so much. These experiences stretch time and budgets, and they strengthen destination competitiveness”.

In creating that “experience” she talks of the need to rely on the power of the senses citing “in so many ways, our senses are our largest, deepest, built-in suitcases. Touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste: five magic ways of literally taking in a place, a moment, a memory”. In capping it all she reaches out to describe the ultimate experience; that of the sixth sense thus “with all of the stimuli and emotion of the moment combined into a multi-sensory cocktail, it is the resulting feeling of the moment, which is so intoxicating.

That feeling of freedom.
That feeling of luxury.
That feeling of exhilaration.
That feeling of connectedness (to oneself and/or to another).
That feeling of adventure.
That feeling of play.
That feeling... of feeling.

The sixth sense, feeling, can become one of the most powerful elements of an experience and, therefore, a powerful competitive edge for the destination. That is, if the feeling is a positive one”.

The challenge for the likes of Hiran is to make Sri Lanka that ‘sixth sense feeling experience’. He and a few others have done it for their own products even during the ‘bad’ times, working closely with communities, making them strong stakeholders. They understood then, that what goes on to make that sixth sense feeling, has a lot to do with our people, their caring ways and radiant smiles.

The challenge now is to ensure that it is for all of Sri Lanka, so we as a holistic destination can have that ‘powerful competitive edge’.

 

Shared Google Image