A thought at Wesak

What I said in January 1996 (over 18 years ago), will happen in travel selling .... "Be Ready for Internet Shopping"

Just the other day Jetwing Chairman, Hiran Cooray's office sent me a copy of a Travel Trade Gazette - Asia (an Asian Travel Weekly published out of Singapore), for which I then wrote a monthly Travel Technology column in the mid 1990's , when I as the VP for Asia for PATA. Hiran had found this in his archive, when he was moving office and had thought I should have it. I thank him for the thought, for I had not kept any copies of such with me.

My task both through this column and the work I did for PATA, was to present emerging trends for the benefit of the Asian industry. These are photos of the January 1996 column titled "Be ready for Internet Shopping". That was 18 years ago and what today to us is a matter of fact was then and till within this decade was a far fetched dream for most of us.

I humbly present this article with the cover of the issue for you to be the judge of my ability to predict such trends, reminding you also of some of the other truisms including the way forward for tourism in Sri Lanka as a destination that will venture to genuinely and vehemently to protect and position it's natural and cultural resources, without 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs' and the advantages the  hospitality industry can gain by taking pioneering steps in using Nanotechnology applications within the industry.