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SriLankan Airlines has been systematically introducing its On-Line Check-In system throughout its route network, significantly improving the level of passenger convenience prior to departure.On-Line Check-In (OLCI) affords passengers the luxury of checking themselves in through the Internet, long before they reach the airport, avoiding troublesome queues at Check-In Counters. SriLankan introduced OLCI at its hub in Colombo at the Bandaranaike International Airport, last December. Since then, eight of its overseas stations have launched the facility - New Delhi, Dubai, Madras, Singapore, Hyderabad, Hong Kong, Bangalore and Beijing.
Renton de Alwis, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism, is in Lima, Peru this week on the invitation of the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to speak at a special Think Tank event, on September 27, 2008, on Word Tourism Day.The conference themed “Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change” will be attended by President of Peru Dr. Alan Garcia Perez, Dr. Mercedes Araoz Fernandez, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism and international delegates invited by the UNWTO.The forum is scheduled to cover state-of-the-art of global thinking on Tourism and Climate Change with a strong focus on solutions. Discussions will include the UN roadmap, to adapt, mitigate, use new technology and provide financing for developing countries.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanyake declared open the Sri Lanka Culture and Heritage Exhibition at the Tokyo Museum and also participated at the Japan Association of Travel Agents Travel Fair. The prime minister was accompanied by cultural affairs minister Mahinda Yapa Abeyawardena. The Sri Lanka delegation representing the Tourism Ministry, comprising of deputy minister of tourism, Faiszer Mustapha and chief minister and the minister of tourism of Eastern Province, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, were also in Japan participating at JATA and World Travel Fair.
At the 10th International Island Book Fair (Salon International du Livre Insulaire) which took place in Ouessant, an island off Bretagne from 20 to 23 of August 2008, Sri Lanka was the guest of honour represented by Phillipe Fabry.Founder of Viator Publications, and author of many books on Sri Lanka French writer Phillipe Fabry, a resident of the island nation for over 15 years, addressed a conference about the “History and the Birth of Sri Lanka” on the last day of the book fair (23rd of August). Francophone writer Hélène Honorat, equally enthralled by the beauty of Sri Lanka, was also among the invitees.
The southern coastal town of Galle, with its Dutch fort and quaint charming people, continue to enthral travellers with its myriad splendours and attractions. Its magnetism is unfathomable and the offer for the traveller is unmistakably varied as found by a recent visitor who speaks of his journey to the south of Sri Lanka.“Beach bum? Culture vulture? Intrepid adventurer? On Sri Lanka’s south coast, you can be all three …” says Jeremy Lazell.
A destination which takes you within a couple of hours drive from a beach location to a wildlife location, Sri Lanka’s wildlife treasures are colorful, exotic and diverse. Ranging from the majestic elephants to beautiful butterflies, visitors are always surprised and awed by the many splendors of the fauna of Sri Lanka. AFP reports from Sigiriya, 170 kilometres north of Colombo.
Cinnamon Island Alidhoo in the Maldives, a resort managed by the John Keels Group Sri Lanka, was recognized for excellence in Education and Training with a PATA ‘Best of Show’ grand award, on September 19th, at the PATA Travel Mart 2008 Gold Awards ceremony, in Hyderabad India.The project titled ‘We cared and We shared’ was recognized by the judges with the citation “ A win-win training programme, initiated by the management to improve the local community’s livelihood while meeting its own manpower needs...”The other grand award winners were Singapore Airlines in the marketing category; Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation for Heritage and Nihiwatu Resort Indonesia for Environment .
Sri Lanka Convention Bureau unveiled its offer, ‘Meet in Sri Lanka’, at a special media briefing at the Taj Krishna, in Hyderabad on the eve of the PATA Travel Mart 2008, where Sri Lanka’s strengths as a Meetings Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions(MICE) destination were showcased. A Team led by Prema Cooray, Chairman, SLCB, Amal Goonatilleke, Chairperson, Sri Lanka PATA Chapter, Renton de Alwis, Chairman, SLTPB, Manoj Gunawardena, CEO, Sri Lankan Airlines and SLTDA Board Member Abbas Esufally, were in India for the launch. PATA Travel Mart delegates from all over the world and Hyderabad’s residents were exposed to a bill board campaign on the theme ‘Meet in Sri Lanka’.‘Meet in Sri Lanka’ was the cohesive effort of SriLankan Airlines, PATA Sri Lanka Chapter and the MICE industry and was aimed at capturing at least 10% of the Indian outbound MICE market.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System; the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in giving a Platinum rating placed Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer Brandix’s plant Casualwear at the pinnacle of the world’s green factories.The lead manufacturing plant for global giant Marks & Spencer, Casualwear, achieved a score of 76 on the 85-point LEED certification system, setting a global benchmark for low energy consumption, water conservation, solid waste management and low carbon emissions. It is the only converted Green Factory in the world to receive the Platinum rating, the highest standard in eco-friendly manufacture.
Shouldlu Roy entices you with his description of nature’s rich abundance in Sri Lanka, as he speaks, briefly, of what he has seen of the coast and hill country. Roy captures the tranquillity and the sense of calm one feels when travelling away from the busy cities, to the rural coast and further inland in to hilly country side. His imagery is captivating and catches the mood with no mention of the richness and diversity of the tourism offer, luring one to make a trip to Sri Lanka, in a quaint piece of writing.
“Hands Lanka Exhibition 2008” is scheduled to be held in Colombo from 9th to 12th October and will bring together the work of craftsmen and artisans from all parts of the island to the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre in Colombo. Lankan handicrafts are mostly the work of self-employed or small scale entrepreneurs keeping the tradition of a family heritage alive. This exhibition will be an opportunity for experts in handicrafts to meet with each other, as well as an opening for exploring marketing prospects.
Award winning Sri Lankan entrepreneur, Thusitha Ranasinghe, produces and markets a unique product – paper: made out of recycled elephant dung.Maximus - a project based in proximity to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawela; recycles the elephant dung, to make completely eco friendly products out of paper and other recycled waste. Maximus was the recipient of the World Challenge in 2006 a contest conducted jointly by BBC Newsweek and Shell.
A ‘Ramayana Trail’, woven around Valmiki’s epic, will lure spiritual travellers to Sri Lanka during the holiday season in October. Leaving Kolkata the Trail will cover the temples and places of religious significance said to have been visited by Rama on his battles to rescue Sita as stated in the epic the Ramayana.
The Chinese government will grant 50 million yuan (about 7.31 million U.S. dollars) to Sri Lanka for economic and technical cooperation, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters on Wednesday.The grant will include cooperation between the two counties on education and tourism, states the report on Xinhuanet.
In the wilds of Sri Lanka, Austin Stevens, went on foot, in search of the subjects of his desire – the majestic Sri Lankan elephants.Filming a documentary on elephants, for the Discovery and Animal Planet TV channels, Stevens’ encounters in Sri Lanka, were not limited to filming of the mammoth mammals, but went beyond to reptiles and other flora and fauna, with a daring meeting with a five foot cobra being among high points of the tour.
A Sri Lankan survivor of the Asian Tsunami, a 22 year old, is making headlines in Britain for his unusual skill in being able to surf on his head.Dulip Kokuhannadige has delighted crowds on Bournemouth beach, by performing a headstand while riding the waves on his surfboard, a skill he learnt in Sri Lanka. Having gone to the UK on falling in love with a British aid worker and marrying her, Dulip has stayed on after the relationship has ended on hoping to show his talents at Europe’s first artificial surf reef later this year.
Initiated by the Deputy Minster of Tourism, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, Jumeirah Group will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hotel School of Colombo to train hotel staff for the international chain. The Hotel group owns and operates world’s only seven star hotel Burj Al Arab, and has estimated that they need 60,000 employees in the next five years for their hotels.The alumni of the Hotel School of Colombo, has enriched its reputation as one of Asia’s leading providers of human resources to the hospitality industry.
Pursuant to discussions initiated by a former ambassador for Japan in Sri Lanka HE Akio Suda and the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, one of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished foreign ministers, the ‘Sri Lanka Cultural Heritage Exhibition’ is on from 17th September to November 30th, at Japan’s most prestigious museum, the Tokyo National Museum.Former Japanese ambassador Akio Suda is known to have, a deep appreciation of the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. Desiring fellow Japanese to experience the richness of the Sri Lankan heritage, initiated the discussions with the intervention of the then foreign minister, which has come to fruition now. Popular Japanese news paper Yomiuri Shimbun, are the sponsors of the event.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) formalized plans to initiate a two and a half year technical cooperation project for the development of Culture –Oriented Tourism in Sigiriya (Project COTS).The project COTS is initiated by the Government of Japan to extend assistance to several projects in the vicinity of a new museum construction at Sigiriya, includes installation of display equipment in the museum, infrastructure development and human resource development for tourism operations.The “Project to construct a New Sigiriya museum” is been implemented under the counterpart fund scheme of the Government of Sri Lanka, a scheme which delivers developmental assistance through turning foreign aid into reserves of domestic currency where recipient Governments can use these finances to improve infrastructure facilities. The museum is expected to be opened to the public by mid 2009.
Investors from India, Italy and UK have expressed keenness in developing the sparsely inhabited coastal bay village of Kalpitiya and its surrounding islands in to a niche tourist destination. Sri Lanka Tourism envisages that the Kalpitiya bay will be developed on strictly environmentally friendly and ecologically sound guidelines.The proposed Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Development Project (KITRDP) under the stewardship of former Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, is expected to take off with an investment in the range of Rs. 400 billion. KITRDP involves the development of 4,000 acres in Kalpitiya which also include 514 small islands. The aim of the project is to convert the area in to an up market luxury resort with theme parks, cable cars, golf courses, and around 4,000 luxury villas. Also to include conference facilities and other high end visitor attractions to make these sparsely inhabited islands in to a much sought after stand alone tourist destination.
The Sri Lanka Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association will join the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau in organizing specialized training of personnel for the Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences and Exhibitions sector. The regional hotels associations will also join in as partners from October gearing staff to be equipped as fully fledged professionals of an international standard.Meet in Sri Lanka: the special campaign targeting the Indian MICE outbound traffic is to be unveiled at the PATA convention in Hyderabad this month. The unique feature in this exercise is the linking up of the advertising to business transactions where the Indian Corporate and Meeting planners could access special packages offered by Sri Lankan MICE operators through www.visitsrilanka.net, the official website of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.
‘Galle Season 2008’ will see a reawakening of the spirit of Galle with an emphasis on tradition. Focus of attention will be the majestic Galle Fort around which the festivities will be held. Built during the rule of the Dutch, the Galle Fort’s history and mystery will be showcased among other attractions from 23rd to 29th December.Undefeated by the Asian Tsunami of 2004 which left much damage in its trail, Galle today has come back with a new sense of revival and continues to pulsate with the old world charm and slow pace it has been known for. It’s the place from which one can visit the beach, temples, beautifully renovated old buildings converted in to tourist lodging, or take a trip interior into wild life reserves and rain forests.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) held their first Business Leaders Forum aimed at “Inspiring and involving high potential business leaders in ecosystem and biodiversity conservation.”The first in the series of lectures were delivered on September 10th at the Trans Asia Hotel by Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Renton de Alwis titled “ Climate Change and Tourism: Sri Lanka’s response”. Among the other speakers were Dr. Ranjith Mahindapala, Country Director, IUCN, Dr. Shirani Yasaratne, Regional Director, Business for Nature Project, IUCN and Prema Cooray, CEO / Secretary General of the CCC. The event was attended by key business leaders.
With the recent upgrade of the travel advisory on Sri Lanka, Belgian Tour Operators have begun extensive marketing campaigns targeting winter travelers.The up coming winter season is expected to bring in the numbers expected to Sri Lanka. A positive and resilient industry is all geared and ready to delight visitors, with a myriad of offers and is ready to showcase Sri Lanka’s tantalizing treasures.All are eagerly looking forward to the North and East too will be easily accessed and enjoyed by visitors.
Three students, from Harischandra College in the coastal town north of Colombo - Negombo, were in Stockholm last month, participating in the World Water Week celebrations.RD Thakshila Siriwardena, Sandun Gayath Sameera Dissnayake and Madushan Silva brought honour to Sri Lanka, when they had the distinction of being adjudged runners up at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition. The award, given annually, for an outstanding water project by a young person or a small group of young people, is intended to inspire young people to continuously engage in water and environment related issues. We at Sri Lanka Calling congratulate the winners and wish them continuing success in conserving water and the environment.
The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau joined Institute of Policy Studies in delighting delegates attending the first ever SAARC Economic Summit at a dinner held on August 29th, at the Galle Face Hotel, in Colombo.Continuing their efforts to showcase expertise and excellence, the SLCB markets a wide product range and a diversity of locations, for holding meetings and conferences in Sri Lanka. At the Trade Fair, the SLCB demonstrated the availability of expertise and facilities in meeting the highest expectations of a wide spectrum of corporate clientele in the SAARC region. The SAARC Economic Summit and Trade Fair were held as a follow-up to the SAARC Heads of State Summit, now under the Chairmanship of Sri Lanka, with delegates from all SAARC nations attending.
Diethelm Travel Group, a subsidiary of Diethelm Holdings headquartered in Zurich, among the top tour operator brands in Southeast Asia, is now in Sri Lanka operating with a strong brand presence. Partnered with, one of Sri Lanka’s largest destination management companies Hemtours: of the Hemas Group, Diethelm will conduct its Sri Lanka and Maldives operations from Colombo. The new partnership was first announced in March this year, at the ITB in Berlin, subsequent to signing a memorandum of understanding. It came in to full fledged operation from 1st September 2008.John Watson, CEO of Diethelm Travel, in Colombo for the launch commented “We will be into great things with Sri Lanka Tourism”. With Diethelm’s entry, Sri Lanka Tourism can expect the formation of many similar partnerships and the added presence of global brands marketing the destination.
The Torrington Square in Colombo will flag off the Colombo Marathon on Sunday 5th October 2008 at 0600 hrs, with the run ending in the cosy coastal visitor destination of Negombo. The Colombo Marathon will run in its 9th year and will cover the full international professional circuit distance of 42 km, with a pleasure run of 5 km and a half marathon also in the offing. Several big names in the Marathon circuit are expected to participate confirming that Sri Lanka, is a much sought after exotic island destination offering much beyond its beautiful beaches in nature, culture and adventure.
The 29th GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communications) Asia Pacific Conference of the GSM association ‘Beyond 21’ is to be held in Colombo, from 7th to 10th September, hosted by Dialog Telecom PLC, a top telecommunication provider in Sri Lanka.GSMA Asia pacific, the regional interest group of the GSM association consists of 49 countries and over 130 GSM operators. Colombo’s conference will attract over 150 delegates from member operators, as well as from the associate business partners.
The throng of over 15,000 visitors who gathered at the Washington Zoo, to felicitate the Asian Elephant, were delighted by the antics of Sri Lankan born Shanthi, her Indian counterpart Ambika and young Kandula: Shanthi’s calf, born in the USA. The majestic mammals engaged in revelry, drank over 70 gallons of sugared iced tea and mesmerized visitors. The event was organized by the Friends of the National Zoo, Smithsonian Institute and the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington D.C. It was indeed a celebration, of the South Asian Elephant and a reminder, that the largest gathering of elephants in the wild is seen in Sri Lanka, at this time of the year.
Yala National Park is once again open to visitors and around 100 tourists have been visiting daily since its opening on 1st January after the unusually long break last year. “Around 20 jeeps visited during the first two days after the reopening. The visitors included locals as well as foreigners” said an official at the park. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. all seven days and all safari jeeps are in operation while the management is looking forward to opening the seven park bungalows as well.
Tamarind Hill the newest addition to the boutique hotels in the south of Sri Lanka got many rave reviews from visiting media personnel covering the cricket series when they visited Galle. Some of the views expressed were: Adam Mountford of BBC Radio (England) “It is a beautiful building. But top of mind will be the friendly staff who helped make our stay so memorable” Christopher Martin – Jencin BBC The Times (England) “This is a beautiful place and your hospitality exceptional, typical of Sri Lanka. I like to think that one day I will return here for a proper holiday with my wife” John and Edwina Smart (England) “ A haven of peace ………….As usual it is the Sri Lankan people that make the difference………………just as expected smiling, helpful and accommodating. Our 10th trip to Sri Lanka”
Millennium stage, Kennedy centre, Washington D.C became a riot of colour, with dancers moving in rhythm to the cadence of the drums, the audience is held captive; Sri Lanka’s State Dance Ensemble performs in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Independence. Later, choreographer and artistic director Ravibandu Vidyapathi, led his troupe in dance at a public performance to an equally appreciative packed house in Maryland moving on to captivate audiences in Minnesota. The ensemble will then go on to enchant Canadian audiences in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal.
Aru Sri Art Theatre in association with Chandana Wickramasinghe will present Ramayanaya under the direction of Kalsuri Arunthathy Sri Renganathan at the Ramayana festival in India from June 5th to 13th. The 25 member troupe will tour Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior where performers from Cambodia, Java, Bali, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Ayodhya are billed to participate. The Sri Lankan dancing ambassadors and musicians will showcase to audiences in India the cultural bond that exists between all peoples of Sri Lanka.
The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall reverberated to the sound of classical drums; as a captivated audience stood motionless and mesmerized when Channa and his troupe of dancers presented “Thala”. Having performed in most of the capitals of the world from Beijing to Bonn the Channa Upuli Dance Foundation, took four months off, from performances, to prepare for “Thala” a theatre production in Sri Lanka, after a lapse of nearly five years. Opening with an item on drums, going on to present a collection of dance items from all the dancing traditions exclusive to Sri Lanka, the main highlight of the evening was the oriental ballet ‘Sigiriya’ bringing to the stage the historical story of King Kasyapa and his kingdom on the rock.
Global tour operator Kuoni Travels of Switzerland’s, fully owned subsidiary Kuoni Travel Ltd UK Managing Director Nick Hughes, on a recent visit to Sri Lanka, said “ Sri Lanka is the number one destination for weddings worldwide and number two destination for honeymoons for Kuoni Travels” He went on to add “Our year –on –year revenue (2007 -2008) from the Sri Lankan market has risen by 30 % while passenger traffic has risen by 20%. This is a very strong and favourable message for Sri Lanka” Kuoni is among Britain’s biggest tour operators to Sri Lanka and is operating for more than forty years. Sri Lanka is featured on the cover of Kuoni’s Winter Brochure for 2008; company’s main catalogue of global destinations. The 2009 brochure dedicates 24 pages to Sri Lanka.
‘‘Kirivehera’ and ‘Kataragama Devalaye’ two places of worship of importance to both Buddhists and Hindus alike and are situated in close proximity to each other will be illuminated for the benefit of devotees from 3rd July to 18th July. Situated in the deep south of Sri Lanka the Kirivehera is venerated by Buddhists and is believed to have been built in commemoration of the Buddha’s third visit to Sri Lanka and the sermon delivered there. The Kataragama Devalaya was built by King Dutugemunu and is the home to a host of Hindu gods worshipped both by Hindus and Buddhists. The illuminations are an act of devotion by Sri Lankan entrepreneur Ms Amarani Wijewardena, Chairperson of Swadeshi Industrial Works.
At the Sri Lanka Heritage Exhibition held at the Sukara Esutasio Hall in Fukuoka Japan Sri Lankan Gems, Ceylon tea and handicrafts were showcased to visitors in a typically Sri Lankan atmosphere. The presence of actress Yoshiko and singer Matsuoka speaking of the ‘Sri Lankan experience’ was a mega attraction which drew visitors from even distances as far as Osaka. Sri Lanka Calling takes this opportunity to thank the chief organizer Mr T. Okamoto, for taking the lead in organizing the event and for enabling Sri Lanka Tourism to present the destination to Japanese visitors eager to visit Sri Lanka.
The spotlight will fall on Hikkaduwa from July 30th to August 3rd when the ‘Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2008 gets underway. It will be five days of entertainment and excitement for the whole family with a line up of events for all age groups being catered to. There will be activities from sunup to sunset to keep all members of the family entertained. With a special day dedicated to grandparents and other events for kiddies with beach sports for the more energetic, a long line up of entertainment await visitors. The partying in the evening will be enlivened with the participation of popular DJ’s from Sri Lanka and invitees from overseas adding to the excitement. From Rock concerts to kite festivals to fireworks displays, activities are varied and fun filled and are designed to provide entertainment to both local and foreign visitors.
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Sri Lanka operations, corporate social responsibility project, take them to ‘Mahausakande.’Initially managed by the Ellawela Trust the ‘Mahausakanade’ project is now partnered by HSBC and will involve the reforestation of 16 hectares of land in Kiriella bordering a protected rain forest –‘Bambaragala Mookalana.’ The seed fall from the forest reserve has stimulated the growth of forest species among the rubber trees and the goal of planting 10,000 indigenous species continues with the sponsorship of HSBC who will hire a scientific team for the project and conduct awareness programmes for 24 schools.
The prestigious International Restaurant and Hotel Awards USA, where submissions from 50 countries were presented, with top chains and hotel groups including The Ritz Carlton, Marriot International, Accor Hotels, Hilton Hotels among others competing, Sri Lanka’s Hotel Sigiriya of Serendib Leisure Group was named 1st in the Green Award category, when the sub category awards were announced on June 5th 2008.Congratulations! Team Hotel Sigiriya, for an award which has highlighted the Hotel’s commitment to the environment and conservation, and bringing credit to destination Sri Lanka.
Domestic airline Deccan Aviation Lanka is, First Choice Airways’ chosen partner to transfer crew and staff between Maldives and Sri Lanka. This is the second consecutive year in which Deccan Lanka is awarded this contract for ‘Crew Rotation’.Industry sources cited this twice weekly rotation from May through October, as a strong signal of the long term commitment and interest in Sri Lanka by major charter airlines and tour operators.
EPI, a joint effort by two of America’s eminent universities Yale (Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy) and Columbia (Centre for International Earth Science Information Network) in its findings rate Sri Lanka in 50th position with a score of 79.5.Sri Lanka’s annual carbon emission level of 1.6 tonnes per person was safely below the global upper limit of 2.1 tonnes per person. With Sri Lankan’s in all sectors becoming increasingly aware of carbon emission and the importance of preventive methods;
Hikkaduwa’s long stretch of beach will light up in colour and glamour when ‘Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2008’ gets underway from July 30th to August 3rd.An event to entertain both foreign and local tourists and reposition Hikkaduwa from a sun, sand and leisure location to one with a variety of exciting happenings “ Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2008” is set to, out do, last years event with a longer line up, to delight the whole family. Music, dancing fireworks and the multitude of other fun events on offer is planned for the hip hop young but not forgetting the kiddies and the grannies. From sunset to sundown and through in to the night, east will meet west at its best in Hikkaduwa.
Hikkaduwa, the usually quiet town, renowned for its Sea, Sun, Sand tourism, will light up in a celebration of rest and recreation from July 30th to August 3rd. Deccan Helicopters happily join in, to make the event even more exciting.
Deccan Helicopters are already in the party mood and will be a big attraction at Hikkaduwa, offering a ‘bird’s eye’ view of the coast of Sri Lanka, adding further allure to the five days of fun filled activities.
Nature lover and avid photographer Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne’s passion and nose for exploring the extraordinary takes him out to sea and in his latest story Gehan speaks of the abundance with which Blue and Sperm Whales and Dolphin’s are sighted in Sri Lankan waters. Sri Lanka Calling takes pride in further showcasing Gehan’s efforts to the world
Ministry of Tourism in a bid to showcase Sri Lanka’s many places of interest to the traveller with an inclination for the spiritual, recently launched, the “Buddhist Pilgrim Travel Trail”.A previously unexplored market, initially it is intended to develop links between Sri Lanka and India and expand to other countries in the SAARC, South East Asia and the East Asia regions.
British company KE Adventure Travels was adjudged the Best Trekking Operator in the world by National Geographic Adventure magazine after a study of over 200 adventure travel operators from the world over. KE Adventures operates in Sri Lanka through the adventure travel arm of Walkers Tours - Nature Odyssey.The study focussed on “which operators teach their clients about the places they visit, who pushes the frontiers of discovery and adventure and who gives back to the planet through travel.” They also surveyed “On interpretation, sustainability, quality of service and – the spirit of adventure”Our congratulations go out to KE Adventure Travels and Walkers Tours. We wish you well as you push the limits of adventure and provide your customers with eco-friendly experiences.
The US State Departments, Bureau for South and Central Asia’s front office now displays a photograph of the Buddha, at Gal Viharaya in Pollonoaruwa; a gift from Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Milinda Moragoda. The photograph is a black and white rendering, of a, 12th century masterpiece of a carving on a single piece of rock and is the work of renowned Sri Lankan photographer Nihal Fernando. To expand this programme further, and to showcase, other sites of interest, to the world; the minister has requested Sri Lanka Tourism to conduct a photographic competition titled ‘Best of Sri Lanka’ and for the winning entries to be displayed, at other venues of importance; a reminder of the richness of Sri Lanka’s cultural diversity and talent.
The Esala Perahera, Asia’s grandest processions takes to the streets in July, with the culminating grand procession -the Dalada Perahera being scheduled for August. Going as far back as the 3rd century B.C. the processions were originally rituals enacted to request rainfall during seasons of drought, expanding to the current magnificent pageant to include the veneration of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, believed to have been brought to Sri Lanka from India, in the 4th century A.D.
SriLankan Airlines has been systematically introducing its On-Line Check-In system throughout its route network, significantly improving the level of passenger convenience prior to departure.
