At a glance
- Client: A hospitality developer planning a small luxury tented camp with a community and conservation focus in central Sri Lanka
- Sector: Luxury hospitality and glamping
- Region: Sri Lanka
- Service: Feasibility study
The challenge
The client planned a luxury camp of about 15 tents in the hills of central Sri Lanka, with community and conservation at its core. Sri Lanka was coming out of a debt crisis and a pandemic collapse in tourism. Before raising money, the client wanted to know if the idea held up. Was tourism demand returning? How much accommodation was already on the market? Who were the glamping and eco-luxury competitors, what did they charge, and how did they compete? And how did comparable camps elsewhere handle community engagement?
What we did
- Scoped a four-month study in phases: client discovery, market analysis and field visit, financial diligence, and a final report with an investor presentation.
- Reviewed Sri Lanka's economic position (GDP, debt, reserves, inflation, FDI, ease of doing business) from IMF, World Bank, CEIC and central bank sources.
- Analysed tourism arrivals, source markets, length of stay and hotel trading from SLTDA and Statista data.
- Mapped accommodation supply by category for 2019–2022 from the SLTDA register.
- Profiled nine existing glamping and eco-luxury competitors in Sri Lanka, plus likely future entrants and booking platforms.
- Used Google Trends to gauge 'glamping' search interest by province.
- Built a comp set of 15 properties in Sri Lanka, South-East Asia, Nepal and Africa, priced in November 2023 and scored 1–5 on 8 community-engagement criteria.
Topics covered
- Sri Lanka economic outlook and investment climate
- Tourism recovery and source markets
- Accommodation supply by category
- Glamping market size and pricing
- Competitors and potential new entrants
- Affluent and experiential travel trends
- Community-engagement benchmarking
What we delivered
We delivered a feasibility study report in Word, revised several times. It covered the project concept, site access, the destination and economy, market demand and supply, competitors and recommendations. We also delivered an Excel comp set and scoring workbook, and an investor presentation that was in template form in the files we reviewed.
Feasibility study report
Word · approx. 30 pages (several versions)
- Project concept, facilities and positioning
- Site access by air, road and water
- Sri Lanka economic outlook and investment climate
- Tourism industry and post-COVID recovery
- Accommodation supply table 2019–2022
- Existing and future competitor profiles
- Key findings, next steps and location recommendations
Comp set scoring workbook
Excel · 15 properties
- Comp set with location and November 2023 pricing
- 8-criterion community-engagement scoring matrix
- 1–5 scores with written rationale per property
Investor presentation
PowerPoint · approx. 10 slides
- Introduction, location and architecture
- Sustainability concept
- Imagery and contact pages
What we found
- Tourism was recovering quickly from a low base. International arrivals rose from 194,495 in 2021 to 719,978 in 2022, a 270% increase.
- Supply was growing too. Registered accommodation rose about 20% from 2019 to 2022, and the luxury end (5-star, boutique hotels and villas) grew over 13%.
- Glamping is an established niche. About 75 Sri Lankan listings averaged US$256 a night, ranging from US$50 to US$1,160.
- Leading competitors build their offer around access to national parks and private wildlife areas. We suggested sites near parks such as Yala, Wilpattu or Minneriya as options.
- The Central Province showed the highest Google search interest in glamping, ahead of the Southern, Western and North Western provinces.
- We recommended messaging aimed at affluent travellers, a clear point of difference and regular monitoring of new entrants.
In numbers
- International arrivals: 194,495 (2021) to 719,978 (2022) (SLTDA)
- 3,829 registered accommodation establishments, 156 classified hotels, 37 of them five-star, December 2022 (SLTDA)
- About 48,000 rooms in registered accommodation (SLTDA)
- Glamping in Sri Lanka: about 75 listings, average US$256 a night (GlampingHub, 2023)
Key takeaway
In a recovering destination, check new supply as closely as arrivals. Both were rising fast in Sri Lanka.