Sri Lanka achieves 2010 tourist arrival target

Sri Lanka Tourism celebrated the targeted 600,000 tourist arrivals for the year 2010 yesterday (14).
Tourism officials headed by Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr Nalaka Godahewa welcomed the 600,000th tourist at Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday (14).

This marks a significant moment in the history of tourism, said Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr Nalaka Godahewa “Sri Lanka is now on the world map as a unique safe destination. With this, we hope to achieve the 700,000 target set for ‘Visit Sri Lanka 2011,” he said.

The lucky guest Nick Davis from UK who is the CEO of Merchant Maritime Welfare Centre of UK was presented with a six-night seven-day package
which includes hotel accommodation, ground transport and entrance tickets to historical tourist sites in the island.

Since the end of the conflict in 2009, Sri Lanka has seen an increase in tourism figures.

November 2010 saw 72,251 tourists arriving in the country, a marked a 63.1% jump as compared to last year and the highest figure attained in
a month since 1966. The last highest figure was seen in 2004 recording 66,159 tourists.

'This is my second visit and we are delighted over the fantastic welcome we received. It was a long flight, but fully worth it,' Nick Davis told Daily News Business.

“We wish to come to Sri Lanka again and again. This beautiful country needs to be promoted aggressively”, he said adding, its magnificent elephants are very famous and the world should know that a Jewel named Sri Lanka exists.

“It was an amazing experience and we are pleasantly surprised. This is
my first visit to Sri Lanka and we will take fond memories back to
England. This is also the first time that I won something
extraordinary and it is absolutely incredible. I am at a loss for
words to describe my feelings,” Layla Dayani said.

Nick and Layla are here for a five-day stay during which they will
enjoy a one-day tour to down South.

They will leave the country on Saturday with the hope of returning
during next year.

Sri Lanka Tourism launched 'Refreshingly Sri Lanka Visit 2011' with 12
events spread across the year.

'Refreshingly Sri Lanka Visit 2011' will have twelve different theme
events happening throughout the year, in keeping with the 12 letters
that has been used for the tag line “Wonder of Asia”.

Next year Sri Lanka Tourism will be offering similar complimentary
packages to the 250,000th, 500,000th, 600,000th and 700,000th tourists
that arrives in the island to mark Refreshingly Sri Lanka Visit 2011.

All promotional activities and events will be planned in the next
couple of years with the expectation of achieving the target of 2.5

million tourists set by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Source: - www.news.lk

Latest destination for adventure cruise company Zegrahm: Sri Lanka

Looking for an off-the-beaten-path cruise destination in 2011? You'll want to take a look at the latest offerings from Zegrahm Expeditions.

The adventure cruise operator is rolling out a series of voyages that include stops in little-visited Sri Lanka -- a first for the 20-year-old company.

Zegrahm says the new itineraries will give adventure travelers the chance to explore Sri Lanka's lush tropical forests, white-sand beaches and rich biodiversity, as well as cultural sights.

The line plans four voyages that stop in Sri Lanka in 2011, all on the 110-passenger Clipper Odyssey:

-- The Bay of Bengal & the Andaman Sea (Jan. 17 – Feb. 6, 2011) and India and the Maldives with Sri Lanka & Lakshadweeps (Dec. 17, 2011 – Jan. 3, 2012) voyages each include two days in Sri Lanka. Passengers will visit 1000-year-old cultural sites including the Golden Temple of Dambulla, the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka; and the Temple of the Tooth, which houses the tooth of Bhudda encased in gold caskets. These expeditions both overnight in the village of Habarna.

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-- Splendors of India with Sri Lanka (Feb. 1 – 17, 2011) and Southern India by Sea with Sri Lanka (Dec. 7 – 21, 2011) include a full-day exploration of Galle that includes a visit to its Dutch colonial era fort (a World Heritage Site) and the Poorvarama Temple. Travelers spend a second day in the Sri Lankan highlands visiting the Temple of the Tooth and other sites.

On the Splendors of India voyage participants also will overnight in Kandy, the capital of Sri Lanka's Hill Country.

Cruise Loggers, have you ever been to Sri Lanka? Would you want to visit it? Share your thoughts below;

Source: - http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/12/sri-lanka-cruise-zeghram-expeditions-adventure-clipper-odyssey/133867/1

Exclusive Zones for Tourists for Gambling in Sri Lanka

The government is considering the possibility of setting up a separate gambling zone to attract tourists, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.

Addressing the Cabinet news briefing the Minister said such an idea had crossed the mind of the Government.

He justified this move given the tourism factor. Even Muslim countries have zones of this nature designated for gambling and the like in order to attract tourists, he said. However he refuted recent claims by opposition members that the government was considering a gambling bill .

There are three areas that we talk about with regards to development the development of our aquatic resources, investment and tourism. If we are to open up to tourism then there needs to be certain facilities in the country, he said.

www.lankanewspapers.com

SriLankan contributes to Mice tourism moving up

With Sri Lanka now enjoying the multiple dividends of peace, the country's MICE market is also on an upward curve, mirroring the country's boom in leisure traffic.

Last year a total of 447,890 people visited Sri Lanka, and up to September this year a total of 445,228 have visited the country.

In November 200 delegates from all over the world will arrive in Colombo for the World Buddhist Federation Conference.

This closely follows three successful MICE events held last month.

The 600 delegate ' Asia Micro Finance Conference', the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Conference with its 150 international delegates and the MF Network Corporation Conference for 150 delegates from different parts of the world.

In the pipeline for early next year are the Junior Squash Championships in February, the International Ports Conference and the Eco-Tourism Conference in June.

As an active promoter of MICE tourism, the national carrier has been working together with the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau to promote two specific genres of MICE traffic.

The first is the total package where SriLankan Airlines undertakes the entire package from ground arrangements and hotels to conference to the air travel. These packages are sold network wide. The other category is where the airline offers discounted fares for tickets only. They also further support MICE tourism by offering complimentary tickets to guest speakers and rebated tickets to local event organisers to travel overseas to promote MICE events, where the airline has the official carrier status.

Although Sri Lanka has been in the MICE market for the past 25 years, MICE traffic experienced a downturn since Sri Lanka was classified as an 'unsafe destination' by many countries. However, even during that time, Sri Lanka did host large conferences like the International Conference on AIDS in Asia Pacific (ICAAP) in 2007 with 2000 plus participants.

But, with the end of the war and the withdrawal of negative travel advisories there has been a marked resurgence in the MICE business.

Sri Lanka enjoys an enviable reputation as a value-for-money destination especially in the South Asian region, with growing popularity as a MICE destination in India and Pakistan. SriLankan has been the official carrier for over 20 conferences since the 30 year old civil war ended in May last year.

While the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau the Sri Lanka Tourist Board are responsible for marketing MICE tourism in Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines enjoys direct inquiries from corporates because of their world class reputation as the country's national carrier and its excellent frequency and network in the south Asian region especially in India . SriLankan Airlines currently has the best frequency out of India with 50 flights a week and the best network with six destinations and is an obvious choice of destination for Indian MICE traffic. The airline participates in international MICE trade fairs such as IMEX and ITCMA to promote Sri Lanka as a MICE destination and the airline as the official carrier.

With MICE traffic comprising more top end corporate clients, this has parallely been an excellent opportunity to showcase SriLankan Airlines' Business Class which has recently been upgraded to a new star class service and will undergo further refurbishments with flat beds seating and AVOD systems.

With SriLankan Airlines launching its Air Taxis, the airline also has ambitious plans to bring in more high-end and small exclusive groups for parleys in Sri Lanka. Last year's meeting of Small and Luxury Hotels Owners was highly successful with SriLankan Airlines as the Partner Airline.

Source:- http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/business/127-local/25845.html

Its all about Sri Lanka Getaways

Following mail which we got after our recent tour visits from Germany. =======================================================

Sri Lanka is one of the best destination for tourists. Working with tour operators in Sri Lanka is an easy task Specially with ‘Sri Lankan Getaways’. These travel agents are good at taking care of the needs and demands of the visitors. You will only need to be sure of your budget, purpose of visit. and the destinations you wish to go to. The rest would be easily taken care of by the tour operators you choose to work with. Tour operators in Sri Lanka promote the culture and tourism of the country keeping in mind the tourist's interests. The travel agents will have special deals every season.

There are a wide range of tours available for Sri Lanka - Starting from individual tours, group tours, private tours, Eco Tours and even escorted tours. Hence it's importance to inform your travel agent accordingly. The main cities of choice to visit are Colombo and Down South, however some people prefer tours mainly of historical sites like Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya others may prefer the more Scenic and Eco vacation sites like Hill Country, Yala, Wasgamuwa while some want to experience a mixture of both to get the whole Sri Lanka experience. By working with ‘Sri Lankan Getaways’ they can specialize in creating tailor-made tour packages to Sri Lanka . The ‘Sri Lankan Getaways’would act as a one-stop shop for the tourists in planning for a tour to the country. Starting from getting the best available fares to arranging for the best hotels at the cheapest price These are the functions of the travel agent. If there is a need to hire a car, or arrangement of ground transportation, these are also managed by the tour operators. ‘Sri Lankan Getaways’ usually have the capabilities to attend most of the commonly used languages, like English, French & German and even Spanish. Hence, this does not restrict anyone from visiting the country due to language barriers.

Most places of interest in Sri Lanka could be covered in 7 days to 15 days. Hence it's importance to inform your travel agent accordingly. Working with ‘Sri Lankan Getaways’ is easy as they have in-depth knowledge of the destinations. They act as a guide to the tourist by informing them of the special attractions of the country. Working with them will truly be a "value-added" for money experience.

By Adrian Gossow from Germany

Ppl from Middle East - We are waiting for you ...

Message from Heba Al Ghais Al Mansoori - SLTPB Middle East Director
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Sri Lanka is ideally positioned as a destination to attract more regional travellers despite the credit crunch as stability has finally dawned on Sri Lanka with the war coming to an end and the destination offers very good value for money. Sri Lanka is an exotic locale and peace has finally brought prosperity and development into the country and opened up more areas for tourism development which otherwise were not accessible during the war

So, WE INVITE ALL THE PPL FROM THE MIDDLE EAST REGION TO JOIN US AND EXPERIENCE A “ TRUE TASTE OF PARADISE

Golden Beaches in Sri Lanka

The sun shining sandy beaches by the blue seas around the island are best for a relaxation as well as active holiday of surfing, diving and tanning your self.

Sri Lanka is a tiny tear drop shaped island in the Indian Ocean. It is the essence of South Asia. One can find the attractions and the huge influence of the neighboring India and Maldives in this land which is a hundred times smaller than India. Sri Lanka is surrounded by golden beaches.
If soft sound of the waves overlapping in to the beach, contrasting deep blue waters of the ocean laying bare on the white sandy beaches and the hum of seagulls synchronized with music of waves lures you to travel to a beautiful tropical beach to spend a sunny holiday then plan a Sri Lankan holiday. Whether to set your spirit of adventure free or just to relax and enjoy the tranquil settings, Sri Lanka is the ideal holiday destination , the land of many stunning beaches.
Sri Lanka is endowed with many beautiful beaches, many of which enjoy an idyllic setting with swaying palm trees bending over the white sand lapped up by blue waves and coral reefs. So kick of your shoes and dip your toes into the divine beaches of Sri Lanka . As one travel along the western, eastern or southern coastline, around every bend one will come upon yet another tempting tropical panorama, which testifies Sri Lanka, aa a tropical island and the best place to holiday.
If you enjoy water sports, discover what an aquatic playground the beaches of Sri Lanka can provide. Snorkeling, windsurfing, angling and sailing are just a few activities if one wants to indulge in water sports. Windsurfing is a popular water sport activity, and tests one's competitive skills. Windsurfing races are held mainly on the southeastern coast. Swimming, diving and sunbathing are favorite activities of foreign visitors. Exploring coral reefs, the beautiful under water flora & fauna is a must when you travel to Sri Lanka. Various types of crustaceans and hydra add to the exquisiteness of a coral reef, which is home to many authentic species .
Sri Lanka, is studded with sunny beaches. While basking yourself in the beautiful sunset and sipping a drink made of tropical fruits or a cool beer , also soak your self in the serene sunny environment. These beaches are a paradise for honeymooners, providing the perfect romantic setting.
Want to get a flavor of Sri Lankan sea food, then you can satisfy your gastronome desires by having the exotic dishes served in many of the restaurants along the western coast. Tiger prawns, lobsters and crab are few favorite among the visitors. These beautiful beaches are also home to many tropical fishes. The fishing communities that have developed along side such beaches offer to broaden the visitor's knowledge about the sunny beaches of Sri Lanka. The beaches are not crowded so taking in the sun is another option .
Sri Lankan beaches can best be described as the "waves of paradise". Being in Sri Lanka your holiday is incomplete without experiencing the beautiful beaches. The names of some the beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka are :
- Ambalangoda Beach, Sri Lanka
- Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
- Bentota Beach, Sri Lanka
- Beruwala Beach, Sri Lanka
- Hikkaduwa Beach, Sri Lanka
- Kalkudah Beach, Sri Lanka
- Mt. Lavinia Beach, Sri Lanka
- Negombo Beach, Sri Lanka
- Nilaveli Beach, Sri Lanka
- Unawatuna Beach, Sri Lanka
- Weligama Beach, Sri Lanka.

Source: - Aitken Spence Hotel PLC ...