Good for Hotels ? Lonely Planet names SL as best to visit in 2013

Lonely Planet names SL as best to visit in 2013

World’s most renowned and largest travel guide book and digital media publisher –“The Lonely Planet” has named Sri Lanka as number one destination in the world to visit in year 2013.

The travel experts and the voters have predicted that Sri Lanka will be on the top of the hottest new holiday destinations for the travelers in year 2013. Under the title ‘Serenity returns to Serendib “ the travel guide raves destination Sri Lanka describing the multi-faceted experiences the traveler can look for in this small Island , fused with novelty and indulgence :

“Dubbed Serendib -the origin of the word serendipity “ by seafaring Arab traders centuries ago, Sri Lanka has been anything but serene in recent decades. …South Asia's most compact country have remained off limits to even the most intrepid traveller. .…investment is again fuelling the tourist industry and visitor numbers are steadily increasing. Prices are affordable. Indeed, Sri Lanka is emerging as one of the planet's best-value destinations.

The travel guide book highlights the emerging new popular places to visit in Sri Lanka including the newly opened up East coast and less travelled paths in the western coast as well : “North of the capital Colombo, on Sri Lanka's west coast, Kalpitiya and the Puttalam lagoon are eco-tourism hotspots with bird watching and kayaking. Near Dondra Head, on the south coast, mighty blue whales are regular visitors from January to April while land-based wildlife thrills include the leopards and elephants of Yala National Park, and the more rugged and remote Wilpattu National Park, open once more after being closed for more than two decades “

Being famous for pristine sandy beaches from the begining, the Lonely Planet remarks that the total experience in Sri Lanka is truly a life changing experience for any traveler:

“The gloriously arcing beaches of the nation's east coast are now challenging traditional southern favourites. Arugam Bay's sandy crescent is one of Asia's best surf spots and further north, Uppuveli and Nilaveli near Trincomalee stretch for several pristine kilometers….Explore the glorious labyrinth of Galle's 17th-century Dutch fort. In past centuries, the Unesco-listed colonial town was a prosperous hub of global trade and now boutique hotels and an emerging arts scene instil a cosmopolitan allure. Further north, you can discover Sri Lanka's imposing ancient cities, emerging from a verdant landscape. All around the country, tuck into great-value local cuisine including grilled seafood, spicy kottu (roti chopped and mixed with vegetables) and multi-course mini banquets of different curries at family run guesthouses. Indian and Thai cooking may be world-renowned, but Sri Lanka's time in the global gourmet spotlight can't be far away.”

The country is becoming easier to reach due to cheap fares from regional hub Bangkok said Lonely Planet.

The annual Lonely Planet lists are compiled based on unbiased views of the staff, writers and travel community. Spokesman Adam Bennett said that the choices are not based on where travellers are already going but rather are "our pick of where we believe travellers really should consider visiting in 2013." He said that destinations make the list for a variety of reasons, including special events, recent developments or buzz, or that the destination is up-and-coming and worth visiting before the crowds get too big.

This achievement is certainly a boost for the Tourism industry of Sri Lanka which keeps on breaking its own records through out the past years and strategically targeting 2.5 million tourist arrivals by year 2016

http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/22878-lonely-planet-names-sl-as-no1-country-to-visit-in-2013.html

http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/22878-lonely-planet-names-sl-as-no1-country-to-visit-in-2013.html

I guess the above should make leisure sector more positive.

A good news!

my only problem is that the hotel sector prices seems to have already factored in future growth

meee mona reddak kiuwath stock market eka naginne naane.. eekane wadeee...
niiithii daalaa daala meeka kaala damma. dan ewa ain karath kattiya bayai athagahanna...
confidence eka binduwatama bahala kattiyage..

i am yet to see this news in the lonely planet web site.

still it shows 2012 list. if it is true. this is big for sri lanka tourism.(Small country like us to be no 1)
i hope our people will capitalise this to maximum.

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/lonely-planets-best-in-travel-2012?lpaffil=lpcom-article

VISA wrote:i am yet to see this news in the lonely planet web site.

still it shows 2012 list. if it is true. this is big for sri lanka tourism.(Small country like us to be no 1)
i hope our people will capitalise this to maximum.

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/lonely-planets-best-in-travel-2012?lpaffil=lpcom-article

I verified with many other (non Sri Lankan) sources. It's true!

23/10/2012 - 08:09:17
Derry has been named as one of the world’s best cities to visit in 2013.

Guidebook company Lonely Planet placed the Northern Ireland city as high as fourth in a top 10 cities list in its Best In Travel 2013 publication.

The guide says: “Londonderry is the UK City of Culture 2013, which means this vibrant historic walled city is undergoing a renaissance.”

Lonely Planet’s Tom Hall added: “Best in Travel is all about identifying destinations which offer the traveller something special.

“Derry is a brilliant example of a city that has bounced back from difficult times. This is a city with heart, which shines through in its exciting arts and music scene.”

In top place in the 10-city list was San Francisco, followed by Amsterdam and the Indian city of Hyderabad.

Beijing was in fifth place, followed by Christchurch in New Zealand, Hobart in Australia, Montreal in Canada, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Puerto Iguazu near the famous waterfalls in Argentina.

One of the best back-in-time destinations in the guide was London’s Royal Opera House Tea Dance when visitors will be “transported to a seemingly gentler time”.

Also featured in this category was Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London.

The Tower of London made it into the unluckiest places in the world category, due to its many executions and ghost stories, while London’s “Boris Bike” scheme featured in the category dealing with cities where cycle projects operate.

One of the best places to get a tattoo was at the London Tattoo Convention while under the Snakes Alive category, wildlife reserves in Dorset were itemised for their adder-viewing opportunities.

Hadrian’s Wall in north-east England made it into the Great Wall Walks category which also featured the 8th century Offa’s Dyke on the England-Wales border.

Under the Legendary Last Stands section appeared Battle in East Sussex, better known as the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings.

Among best places to hunt for buried treasure was the English countryside where many Roman coins are hidden.

Other European destinations featured in the book included Swedish city Gothenburg as one of the best value destinations and Montenegro as one of the top countries for 2013.

Mr Hall said: “Despite the economic crisis, European destinations still pack a real punch on the global tourist scale and our selections in Best in Travel 2013 reflect this.”

Sri Lanka was tipped as the hottest country to visit in 2013 for both its good value and gourmet cuisine, while “epic beauty” Corsica was the top region to visit.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/derry-fourth-in-2013-lonely-planet-guide-571469.html

I would like to see these kinds of promotions targeting year 2015, not 2013.
2013 is a bit early.
(above is just what I think)

Sidath wrote:my only problem is that the hotel sector prices seems to have already factored in future growth

No Sidath. They can grow massively. They can put four people in double rooms, 2 people in single rooms. They can put beds in the corridors, under the stairs. rent restaurant tables to sleep after serving hours. They are sure to grow like that.

aj wrote:

Sidath wrote:my only problem is that the hotel sector prices seems to have already factored in future growth

No Sidath. They can grow massively. They can put four people in double rooms, 2 people in single rooms. They can put beds in the corridors, under the stairs. rent restaurant tables to sleep after serving hours. They are sure to grow like that.

I didn’t get you.

Are you trying to say that our existing hotels are not expanding to meet the demand.

CSEStockWatch wrote:

aj wrote:

Sidath wrote:my only problem is that the hotel sector prices seems to have already factored in future growth

No Sidath. They can grow massively. They can put four people in double rooms, 2 people in single rooms. They can put beds in the corridors, under the stairs. rent restaurant tables to sleep after serving hours. They are sure to grow like that.

I didn’t get you.

Are you trying to say that our existing hotels are not expanding to meet the demand.

ha ha ha why not bed on top of the trees also

CSEStockWatch wrote:
I didn’t get you.

Are you trying to say that our existing hotels are not expanding to meet the demand.

How does a hotel "expand"? Other than building another new one or closing the existing one and demolishing and start building a bigger one. So if you make 100 million profits this year, how do you make it 150 million next year? How does a single hotel grow? You can only increase the price, not magically expanding the hotel.

Note: Can't edit mistakes then and there, because of this forum's 'Flood control is active on this forum, please wait 120 second(s) before replying or posting.'

VISA wrote:i am yet to see this news in the lonely planet web site.

still it shows 2012 list. if it is true. this is big for sri lanka tourism.(Small country like us to be no 1)
i hope our people will capitalise this to maximum.

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/lonely-planets-best-in-travel-2012?lpaffil=lpcom-article

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-countries/

aj wrote:

CSEStockWatch wrote:
I didn’t get you.

Are you trying to say that our existing hotels are not expanding to meet the demand.

How does a hotel "expand"? Other than building another new one or closing the existing one and demolishing and start building a bigger one. So if you make 100 million profits this year, how do you make it 150 million next year? How does a single hotel grow? You can only increase the price, not magically expanding the hotel.

Note: Can't edit mistakes then and there, because of this forum's 'Flood control is active on this forum, please wait 120 second(s) before replying or posting.'

True. That is why some people invest in hotel chains like REEF, KHL, SHOT etc, that have got the potential to add more rooms under their wings instead of single entities operated at full capacity.

aj ,

I didnt get ur point.
All the people/analysts says sri lanka will be having lot of rooms than the growth in the industry. As per my knowledge We had around 14,000 rooms 2009 and now already another 14000+ additionsl rooms are under construction. And also same amount is in the list to start the construction.

So there will be a huge supply of rooms by the year 2016. If Gov. cnt get the target tourists arrival of 2.5m ( at least 2m ) hotel sector will have a big correction but it seems we are on the track so far . And also there were new lows introduced on the minimum prices of rooms which is again a sigh of low demand. Hotel having a great occupancy level after the war and the same time room rates are increasing.

Hotels can increase their product portfolio + varying Prices for those items + special packages + New markets + and promotions to increase the occupancy. No. of rooms is a constant in the short run but all above are elastic. If some body has the current PE ration of the overall hotel sector please share it.
Thanks.

UKboy wrote:I would like to see these kinds of promotions targeting year 2015, not 2013.
2013 is a bit early.
(above is just what I think)

By 2015, Sri Lanka will have to compete with Myanmar.

Amal Mudunkotuwa wrote:aj ,

I didnt get ur point.
All the people/analysts says sri lanka will be having lot of rooms than the growth in the industry. As per my knowledge We had around 14,000 rooms 2009 and now already another 14000+ additionsl rooms are under construction. And also same amount is in the list to start the construction.

So there will be a huge supply of rooms by the year 2016. If Gov. cnt get the target tourists arrival of 2.5m ( at least 2m ) hotel sector will have a big correction but it seems we are on the track so far . And also there were new lows introduced on the minimum prices of rooms which is again a sigh of low demand. Hotel having a great occupancy level after the war and the same time room rates are increasing.

Hotels can increase their product portfolio + varying Prices for those items + special packages + New markets + and promotions to increase the occupancy. No. of rooms is a constant in the short run but all above are elastic. If some body has the current PE ration of the overall hotel sector please share it.
Thanks.

The domestic hotels and tourism industry is set for buoyant growth
Jul 19, 2012 (LBT) - Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in June were at 65,245 (up 21.6% YoY). As of YTD June, tourist arrivals increased 18.7% to452,867. With the end of the civil war, nearly two-thirds of the coastal/beach areas have become accessible and open for development. The demand for beachfront land for hotel development has increased. The existing hoteliers have started expansion projects, and a number of international operators (such as Shangri-La, Sheraton and Marriott) have shown strong interest to build hotels in Sri Lanka.

Given the growing interest in the hotel industry, we believe the sector is set for buoyant growth underpinned by increased tourist influx and capacity expansion. Until winter 2009, hotel occupancy levels were low; occupancy rates in city hotels averaged ~50% compared with 40% in resorts. A room in a 5-star hotel was typically available for US$60 per night as against US$35 per night for a resort room. Currently, occupancy levels in city hotels have increased to an average 70% and occupancy levels in resorts have also increased to 65%. Average room rates (ARR) have doubled since 2009; a room in a 5-star hotel in Colombo city is currently at US$130 per night (minimum rate of US$120) and that in a 4-star hotel is at US$90 per night.

Sri Lankan government targets 1m tourist arrivals in 2012. The domestic hotels and tourism industry is set for buoyant growth. The government has a target of 2.5m tourist arrivals annually by 2016. The government expects nearly 1m visitors in 2012. The sharp growth in tourist arrivals in Cambodia and Vietnam after the end of the conflict is an indicator to the potential for post-war Sri Lanka International hotel operators show strong interest in Sri Lanka Local conglomerates, such as John Keells Holdings (currently controls 40% of the room supply in 5-star city hotels and 800 resort rooms), Aitken Spence, and Hemas Holdings, have recently refurbished and increased room capacity. Hemas Holdings, for instance, has tied up with Thailand’s Minor International to develop the “Anantara” brand in Sri Lanka. Hemas also has its own portfolio of hotels. Shangri-La (a leisure group based in Hong Kong) recently acquired 10 acres of government property near the Galle Face Green promenade for US$125m. Shangri-La plans to invest US$500m in building a 7-star hotel with 500 rooms, which is likely to be complete by 2015. Further, international hotel chains, such as the 200-room Marriott (with Nahil Wijesuriya of East West Properties), Six Senses (with Aitken Spence), Movenpick (with Softlogic), Minor International of Thailand (with Hemas Holdings) and the 306-room Sheraton (owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts), have also shown interest in setting up shop in Sri Lanka. Other international groups, such as Hilton and Taj, already have a presence in Sri Lanka.

Opportunities outweigh challenges. Future growth in tourism will hinge on development of infrastructure and accommodation capacity. In 2011, the country had around 14,653 graded rooms (total current capacity is ~21k), of which Colombo accounted for 5,659 rooms. Hence, incumbent hoteliers would benefit from a spike in tourist arrivals in the short to medium term; these hoteliers should see strong margin expansion. We believe that the industry would require an addition of 22,500 rooms during the next five years to achieve the target of 2.5m tourist arrivals by 2016. Against this backdrop, a number of foreign hotel chains, existing hoteliers and companies have aggressively started to look for new hotel ventures. New capacity would take at least 24-36 months to come on stream.
http://www.lbt.lk/news/economic/2309-tourist-hub

i think we must ask how many nights (man days) tourist stay in sri lanka than this 2.5 mil tourists for the year. what is the average stay time of a tourist in sri lanka. this is no singapore. here tourist tend to stay more than just 2 or 3 days. what is the expected man days in sri lanka. that is 2.5mil x days. then we will understand about the capacity.

VISA wrote:i think we must ask how many nights (man days) tourist stay in sri lanka than this 2.5 mil tourists for the year. what is the average stay time of a tourist in sri lanka. this is no singapore. here tourist tend to stay more than just 2 or 3 days. what is the expected man days in sri lanka. that is 2.5mil x days. then we will understand about the capacity.

May be this chart will give any idea?


Source: http://www.sltda.lk/sites/default/files/SL_Annual_Stat_Report-2011.pdf

Amal Mudunkotuwa wrote:aj ,

I didnt get ur point.
All the people/analysts says sri lanka will be having lot of rooms than the growth in the industry.

Growth in the industry is there after Sri Lanka been closed for 30 years. What I'm saying is that the hotels listed in the stock market how that should affect the current listed hotels. Just because tourists arrive in loads does not mean those hotels can take them in. Only thing they can do is increase price. The rooms, pools, restaurants are constant of the existing hotels.
Just because the harvest of coconuts in the newly cultivated lands around your estate are massive, does not increase your old land's coconuts.

world most occupied hotels can achieve only 85%. no hotel can achieve more than 85% in normal operation.

so let say 2.5 mil arrivals by 2016
avg stay 10 days (sltda data by sriranga)
so man days 25,000,000
per day 25,000.000/365 = 68493
let take this as 68000.
so any day of the year sri lanka will have 68000 tourist in the country.

Is this target can be achieve ??????

let assume every room there is 2 guests.

no rooms occupied 68000/2 = 34000
85 % occupancy rate 34000/0.85 = 40000 rooms

if it is 2,000,000 arrivals it will be 31000 rooms

VISA wrote:world most occupied hotels can achieve only 85%. no hotel can achieve more than 85% in normal operation.

so let say 2.5 mil arrivals by 2016
avg stay 10 days (sltda data by sriranga)
so man days 25,000,000
per day 25,000.000/365 = 68493
let take this as 68000.
so any day of the year sri lanka will have 68000 tourist in the country.

Is this target can be achieve ??????

let assume every room there is 2 guests.

no rooms occupied 68000/2 = 34000
85 % occupancy rate 34000/0.85 = 40000 rooms

if it is 2,000,000 arrivals it will be 31000 rooms

Source: http://www.sltda.lk/sites/default/files/SL_Annual_Stat_Report-2011.pdf

for year 2011, 855000 guest arrived and they had 5,000.000 guest nights.
that comes to 5.8 days (6 days)
arriving date and departing date make it 8 days.

so some thing wrong with 10 day average. can some one explain the missing 2 days. They stay under a tree or spend the night in the car ?

2 days means 30% additional rooms of hotel bookings.

VISA wrote:for year 2011, 855000 guest arrived and they had 5,000.000 guest nights.
that comes to 5.8 days (6 days)
arriving date and departing date make it 8 days.

so some thing wrong with 10 day average. can some one explain the missing 2 days. They stay under a tree or spend the night in the car ?

2 days means 30% additional rooms of hotel bookings.

Some of the so called guests may be Srilankan with foreign passport.