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Sri Lanka's brand image
A social media survey
The purpose of this study has been to quantitatively measure the brand image of Sri Lanka by means of a survey. This quantitative research is a good step in order to fully comprehend what people perceive about Sri Lanka’s country image.
Research question
The questions used in order to measure the brand image of Sri Lanka were formulated taking into consideration the brand messages presented by the official tourism board of the country. Such messages are distributed along 10 major components such as: wild, bliss, festive, or scenic for instance. These are words used in order to convey the brand image of the country.
Thus, through this study we have researched the following question: “To what extent the brand messages introduced by Sri Lanka’s official tourism board are perceived as being true by our readers?”
By doing so, we have also being able to understand what is Sri Lanka’s brand image according to our readers. This has been the final goal of the study.
Formulating the questions for the survey
10 questions were asked to our readers via “Instagram Stories”. This is a new format which allows the collection of voluntary answers from our most devoted readers.
Initially, each reader had 15 seconds to answer each question. Yet, they could go back to the previous story in order to read the question again and provide a meaningful and trustworthy answer.
The first question was answered by 148 readers. However, question number ten (the last multi choice question of this survey), was answered by 114 readers. Some of our readers didn’t provide an answer to all the questions, reducing the reliability of this study.
Results
The results presented along this study reflect the perceptions of our readers towards Sri Lanka’s country image. Yet, further studies need to be completed in order to understand in deep such feature.
1. Brand message number one: “Despite its small size, Sri Lanka boasts one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world.”
Our readers are aware of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. Despite its small size, Sri Lanka boats one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world and is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. The 82% of our readers agreed on this message.
2. Brand message number two: “Sri Lanka offers a wide range of adventures.”
The 94% of our readers think that Sri Lanka offers a wide range of adventures. Actually, this is the highest point of agreement reached in the survey. And yes, there are many thrilling activities for you to enjoy in Sri Lanka such as trekking, hiking, diving, deep sea fishing, rock climbing, whale watching or hot air ballooning for instance.
3. Brand message number three: “Sri Lanka has inspired and healed many who travelled to its shores.”
Ancient Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to establish a dedicated hospital, in Mihintale in the 4th century. The country has healed many who travelled to its shores ever since its existence was known to the world. In this regard, we asked to our readers if they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Sri Lanka has inspired and healed many who travelled to its shores.”
The 89% of the people who completed the survey got it right. Most of our readers agree with such statement indicating to a certain extent that they are familiar with the healing traditions of the country. This is a good branding feature which is perceived by the public as being true.
4. Brand message number four: “Despite its fame as a resplendent island, Sri Lanka’s attraction lies with its people.”
The 32% of our readers don’t think that the secret of Sri Lanka’s attraction lies with its people.
5. Brand message number five: “With a population composed with many races and religions, Sri Lanka is never short of festivals and celebrations.”
The 35% disagree on such statement. Yet, the official tourism website of Sri Lanka highly values these two features (number 4 and 5), using statements such as “every month brings a celebration of either religious or cultural importance, making Sri Lanka one of the countries with highest number of celebrations and holidays.” Yet, our readers don’t seem to fully agree in this regard. Actually, this is the highest point of disagreement reached in the survey.
6. Brand message number six: “Sri Lanka is known for its landscapes.”
For the 89% of our readers Sri Lanka is known for its landscapes. This is a powerful perception which surely needs to be branded. The official tourism board does well on having such feature high in their list. As they state: “Sri Lanka is endowed with a diverse collection of landscapes, climates and natural features. Sri Lanka’s infamous beaches have been enticing visitors for many years.”
Many opportunities for a powerful brand lie in this feature. Landscape photography can be a great tool to keep enhancing such perception among tourists.
7. Brand message number seven: “With a history expanding over 3000 years, Sri Lanka holds some of the world’s ancient cities.”
The 81% of our readers agrees on this point. On sites such as wikipedia we can read the following: “Sri Lanka claims an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles, which is approximately 6.7 times Sri Lanka’s land area. The coastline and adjacent waters support highly productive marine ecosystems such as fringing coral reefs and shallow beds of coastal and estuarine seagrasses.”
8. Brand message number 8: “Sri Lanka is known for its pristine coastline.”
The official tourism website of Sri Lanka also brands the country in this regard: “With nearly 1600 km of palm fringed Coastline baked to perfection surrounding the country Sri Lanka is the ideal destination for beach bums worldwide.”
However, up to 22% of ours readers disagree on the such statement. Taking into account that this feature is one of the major highlights of the country, more could be done in order to rise awareness about it.
The following are the major weaknesses of Sri Lanka’s brand image according to the survey
9. Brand message number 9: “Sri Lanka is a safe destination.”
The 30% of our readers disagree on the such statement. However, research show pretty much the opposite. The UL Safety Index for instance indicates that Sri Lanka is as safe as countries such as Peru or Chile. In addition, the chances of being exposed to the forces of nature or a natural disaster are also pretty low.
As a tourist country, it is always interesting to be perceived as a safe destination. In tourism: the safer, the better. Thus, actions in order to improve the perception of this important feature should be formulated and implemented (always taking into consideration the results of this survey). One question raises here: Why does the 29% of readers think that Sri Lanka is not a safe destination?
10. Brand message number 10. “Sri Lanka is a cheap destination”
Finally, the 31% of our readers don’t think that Sri Lanka is a cheap destination. However, according to Numbeo’s cost of living survey, which takes into account the price of around 50 items (including a wide variety of accommodation, food and drink from both supermarkets and restaurants, clothing, taxi fares, leisure activities, utility, internet, and mobile phone bills), Sri Lanka is among the 20 cheapest countries in the world!
Thus, based on the survey, this is an important weakness of Sri Lanka’s brand image. Actually, this feature should be really well branded, since nowadays many backpackers travel to affordable destinations in order to extend their travel period.
