Towards a positioning strategy for tourism in post-war Sri Lanka

Purpose - This paper aims to provide a practical framework to develop a clear positioning strategy for tourism in post-war Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is written in the context of a strategic question: "how might post-war Sri Lanka develop inbound tourism?" "Positioning" is defined as a pivotal concept in marketing and five key steps in developing the positioning strategy are described. The manner in which the five steps were taken in developing a new positioning strategy for Sri Lanka Tourism is analysed. Findings - A clear positioning strategy for tourism in post-war Sri Lanka should provide a strong foundation to change the negative perceptions potential tourist may have of Sri Lanka. Authors find that the previous positioning statement: "Land like no other" was ineffective, as it lacked coherence, credibility and appeal. The key finding in this paper is that the new positioning statement of Sri Lanka Tourism: "Asia's diverse, authentic and compact island" will evoke in the minds of consumers vividly recalled words and images. While the product-related issues related to post-war tourism in Sri Lanka are being addressed, the principal problem appears to be one of communication. Practical implications - Sri Lanka Tourism has, by and large accepted the concept presented in this paper. Originality/value - This paper fulfils an identified need to develop tourism destination positioning and brand image on a research based and systematic manner. The paper presents an illustrative Sri Lanka Tourism brand schema.