Browsing by Author "Higgoda, P.G.R.R.B."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

The Causal Relationship between Air Transport and Economic Development: Empirical Evidence from Sri Lanka
(International Conference on Business and Information (ICBI – 2019), [Doctoral Colloquium], Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2019) Higgoda, P.G.R.R.B.
Air transport and economic growth are highly link and, in many cases, overlap. Empirical studies show that air transportation is a significant factor as well as an indicator of tourism growth and economic development. Numerous studies show that air transportation may have strong positive effects on tourism growth and economic development, producing what is called a direct causation. Tourism growth and economic development also have a significant impact in air transport demand (Bourguignon & Darpeix, 2016; Hakim & Merkert, 2016). Similarly, tourism growth and economic development of a country can also have significant effect on air transport expansion. An issue that follows this observation is whether air transportation enhances tourism growth and economic development, or vice versa, or whether they boost each other. The lack of extant literature on tourism growth and economic development led this study to answer the research question on whether the short-run dynamics and long-run relationships that have been experienced and expected to exist between Sri Lankan economy and air transport demands. To realize the study objective, appropriate estimations techniques (VECM, VAR, Granger causality test, and descriptive analysis) will be employed for the data set 1990 to 2018. Findings of this study will have some policy and management implications to the field of study.
Impact of Brand Promotion Strategies towards Destination Brand Equity with Special Reference to After War Context in Sri Lankan Tourism
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Higgoda, P.G.R.R.B.
Brand equity and promotion are significant concepts in Marketing. The purpose of promotion is to reach the targeted customers and persuade them to buy. Therefore the promotion is vital element of marketing mix. Developing and properly managing brand equity has been emphasized as an important issue in todays’ changing businesses. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how brand promotional mix i.e. advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing effect on brand equity. Importantly, this study investigates the relationship between promotional mix on destination brand equity in Tourist Industry. Keller’ Model was used to build up the conceptual model. The methodology adopted in this study was quantitative. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews from 200 respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression. Findings of this study revealed that brand promotional mix have positive impact on brand equity. The results further show that advertising, public relations, sales promotion and direct marketing have significant positive impact on brand equity dimensions. Moreover, the results show that advertising/propaganda is the most influential factor for the destination brand equity. These results imply that managers should select appropriate promotional strategies for creating a high level of destination brand equity. More importantly, managers should pay more attention on advertising strategies, i.e. extensive investments on advertising, advertising diversity, direct marketing for building adequate level of destination brand equity.