The varied programs of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Economic Development are now accessible online. They cover development, poverty alleviation, empowerment of the poor, promoting investments to Sri Lanka, travel and tourism industry and nature conservation. Under Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s able leadership, the Economic Development Ministry is forging ahead to improve the people&#...

By Cheranka Mendis Come winter this year, Sri Lanka will be ready to welcome 4000 up-market tourists from Austria, Germany and Switzerland with the first ever regular cruise liner sailing in to the Colombo Port. The cruise liner, FTI Berlin will make its maiden voyage to this part of the world in December starting off ...

With the influx of tourists into the country, the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) on Monday announced the successful completion of a ‘safety assessment’ of the most frequented tourist sites in Sri Lanka carried out by TUI Travel PLC Head of Specialist in Activity Health and Safety Malcolm Ellis. Commissioned in a ...

Sri Lanka spent Rs. 56 b on above-the-line advertising in 2011 Taking wing to India for meetings is a usual routine for any business leader attached to a multinational in Sri Lanka as most such organisations have their regional offices in India. During a recent visit to India, the hype surrounding IPL – 5th edition ...

Vesak is a time when Colombo comes alive with colour and spiritual festivity. It is an ideal and perfect time to showcase the city of Colombo amidst these unique celebrations. The Colombo City Tour, a unique venture by Sri Lanka Tourism and Ebert Silva Holiday offer exclusive and mesmerising

By Faraz Shauketaly For over thirty years – most everything in Sri Lanka was blamed on the ‘war’. If you were polite it was the ‘security situation’. People late for appointments always had an excuse, ‘the checkpoints’, the Army took so long to check my ID and the Police took even longer at the next ...

President Rajapaksa returns home from his official tour of South Korea achieving many economic and social benefits for the motherland. The President undertook a four-day official visit to South Korea at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung Bak. The President and his entourage including First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa returned to the island ...

Leading businessmen in South Korea have expressed willingness to invest in Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa who is currently on an official visit to South Korea met a group of leading business delegates. The South Koean delegates during this meet lauded the high economic growth achieved by Sri Lanka. This progress attracted them to make investments ...

Sunquick partnered with Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) to conduct the Mocktail competition when the students of the Colombo Hotel School and the provincial schools participated. The contestants showcased the talents under two categories – Classical Innovative Mocktail and Flaring Mocktail. The uniqueness of the competition was that each and every compe...

The Government has directed the Police Department to deploy English-speaking Police officers for the Police stations in major tourist areas of the country, Cabinet Spokesman and Acting Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. He said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has been instructed in writing to take initiate necessary measures in this regard. The ...

Sri Lanka’s embassy in Russia has completed an innovative project to further promote Sri Lanka as the preferred tourism destination among the Russian people. Under this project, which was ably supported by Sri Lanka Tourism, they have compiled a tourist guidebook on Sri Lanka in the Russian

Apr 18, Colombo: Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka from Western Europe jumped over 35 percent in March while arrivals from South Asia declined , the data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Wednesday showed.

By Cheranka Mendis Tourist arrivals in March this year had been the highest ever for the month at 91,102 – reflecting a 21.3% growth over last year. The merry March brought the total for the first quarter to 260,525, up by 21% over the corresponding period of last year. End March performance accounts for 26% ...

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo yesterday announced the arrival of a new Front Office Manager, Ronald David. David brings a considerable amount of management experience to the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo team, having spent the majority of his career managing and leading teams both in Sri Lanka and the UK.   Beginning his career as a Tele-marketing Executive ...

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in March 2012 have increased by 21.3 percent compared to the earlier year, while tourist arrivals this year, at the end of March, has exceeded 260, 000, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau data showed on Tuesday.

The apex body for Sri Lanka tourism, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has introduced ..

Sri Lanka’s embassy in Russia has completed an innovative project to further promote Sri Lanka as the preferred tourism destination among the Russian people. Under this project, which was ably supported by Sri Lanka tourism, they have compiled a Tourist Guide Book on Sri Lanka in the Russian

The President of Chamber of Tourism and Industry A.M. Jaufer recently met the Regional Director, Asia Pacific, World Tourism Organization Xu Jing at the Colombo Hilton during the latter’s visit to Sri Lanka. During the discussion Jaufer said that the world has now recognised Sri Lanka as a tourism destination which is a positive sign ...

Apr 16, Colombo: The apex body for Sri Lanka tourism, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has introduced a fully automated licensing system to cater to the growing need of new establishments in the tourism sector.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority is planning to launch an online system to register new tourism establishments in a bid to cater to the growing demand for such businesses in the country. The Authority says, once the automated licensing system comes into place starting from the 1st

In order to cater to the growing need of new establishments in the tourism sector Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has introduced a fully automated licensing system. All registered establishments will be able to renew their license and obtain necessary documentation in few hours

By Uditha Jayasinghe    A relieved Government yesterday lifted a tsunami warning nearly four hours after a massive earthquake off Indonesia triggered mass panic in the Indian Ocean and resulted in electricity being cut off in coastal areas and transport coming to a halt.   People stormed out of their office yesterday after tremors felt ...

SLAITO Treasurer and JourneyScapes (Pvt) Limited Managing Director Devindre Senaratne expresses his views on the importance of joint promotion for Sri Lanka and explores whether joint promotions with other export industries will fully benefit Sri Lanka Tourism. SLAITO Treasurer and JourneyScapes

In the wake of Expo 2012’s successful tourist draw, Sri Lanka is mulling joint tour packages with Maldives. “Combining Maldives’ ocean gateway and attractive beaches with Sri Lanka’s diverse, multifaceted inland tourism can lead to mutual benefits for both countries” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen who announced this to Minister of Economic .....

Following are excerpts of an interview with Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa on tourism investment facilitation Q: Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has set up a ‘one stop shop’ for investment facilitation since late 2010. How does this fit into the role of tourism

Let’s accept it, Sri Lanka made a statement to the world that we are open for business with Expo 2012, even though it had its limitations like the faulty air conditioner at the launch that grabbed media attention. Whilst some can say that the shine was taken off the event due to the very uncomfortable ...

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, along with the officials of Sri Lanka Port Authority, welcomed the vessel ‘Queen Elizabeth’ on Friday, at a brief ceremony held in the Colombo harbour. This luxury carrier, owned by the UK based company Cunard, had more than 2000 tourists on board