Export Development Board targets $2m from wellness tourism

Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board has set an initial $2m revenue target from overseas customers for health and wellness tourism, as part of its National Exports Strategy.

Sri Lanka has a new national export strategy to increase earnings from overseas customers.

The six priority sectors in the National Exports Strategy (2018-22) include health and wellness tourism.

The priority sectors were selected on the basis that focus on these sectors may have the optimal desired impact on the Sri Lankan export economy. The Sri Lankan markets will benefit significantly from foreign investment and these sectors were identified as having the greatest potential in the next five years to attract foreign investment. This could lead to the setting up of international partnerships to benefit local markets.

Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board (EDB) will provide assistance and seek to drive improvements in quality.

The initial target for wellness tourism is US$2 million in revenue, by targeting high spending customers. The logic is that future tourism will be concentrated on wellness tourism. A normal tourist going to Sri Lanka spends US$170 per night but promoting the wellness tourism sector could increase that to US$400-450 per night from a wellness tourist.

To get the message of wellness tourism out to the market, the EDB has apparently partnered with as yet an unnamed global travel agency to target the UK, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Australia.