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WTM 2018: Sri Lanka targets millennials in tourism organisation rebrand

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau today unveils a new branding platform – ‘So Sri Lanka’ – after being named Lonely Planet’s top destination for travel in 2019.

The rebrand marks the start of Sri Lanka’s fresh approach to destination marketing.

The new brand identity is the first time that Sri Lanka tourism has worked towards building a strategic digital-first perspective.

The aim is to engage millennials in travel exploration amid projections that, half of travel revenue will be spent by this age group by 2020.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau has partnered with award winning wildlife producer Nicola Brown – whose previous accolades include the digital series Our Blue Planet which ran alongside David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II – to create a tourism video focussing on wildlife.

A teaser is being released today, with the full-length video launching early 2019.

Tourism and wildlife minister Vasantha Senanayake said: “The launch of the So Sri Lanka brand is not only exhilarating – it’s the beginning of a new era.

“We envisage that tourism will flourish to be the most significant sector contributing to our economy – that’s the goal we aspire to reach in the next few years.”

The tourism bureau’s marketing director Madubhani Perera added: “There has never been a better time for a rebrand. Sri Lanka has just been named The Lonely Planet’s Number One Destination for 2019.

“For us ‘So Sri Lanka’ symbolises our evolution with the digital revolution. The modern traveller goes online to seek inspiration and to find the next life-changing travel experience.

“’So Sri Lanka’ helps us evoke the inimitable feeling of our beautiful, vibrant, authentic and generous country through the smartphones of potential travellers.”

The Travel Weekly team is reporting extensively from this year’s World Travel Market, stay up to date on our live blog and event microsite

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