Following is the ‘Zheng He’ oration delivered by Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa last Tuesday at the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management ( Hotel School) 78 Galle Road, Colombo 3 The tourism industry in Sri Lanka has reached a stage

Following are excerpts from an interview with former President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and currently Managing Director Aitken Spence Travels Ltd. Gehan Perera Q: The private sector, line ministries and the regulatory bodies involved in tourism agree that the time is right for a long-term strategic plan for Sri ...

‘Sancharaka Udawa’, a one day meeting for all tourism related service providers was held yesterday at the Ceylon Continental Hotel with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa as Chief Guest. The main objective of this forum is to provide opportunities for those less exposed to mainstream tourism; creating a platform for small and medium service providers ...

Following is the address delivered by The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Anura Lokuhetty at the National Conference on ‘The Role of the Business Community in Reconciliation’ organised by Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS):   Ladies and gentlemen, throughout the history of mankind, humankind has searched for ...

Signifying another milestone of the Post-War development in Sri Lanka, the Jaffna International Trade Fair 2012 has been declared open yesterday by Douglas Devananda, the Minister of Traditional Industries & Small Enterprise Development. The Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF), which is focused on marketing the opportunities in the virgin market of Jaffna peninsula to private ...

Tourism sources stated that Sri Lanka Tourism has planned to attract one million tourists in 2012. They added that in the first half of this month over 60,000 tourists have arrived in the country and a considerable amount of foreign exchange earned. Sources noted that tourism recorded 860,000

In Sri Lanka we have population close to 21 million. According to China Tourism Academy (CTA), 57.39 million Chinese tourists travelled overseas in 2010! Global Trends Report 2011, which was released at World Travel Market in London, highlights the fact that Chinese tourists contributed US$ 57 billion on accommodation in 2011, third in the world ...

The new visa processing system implemented from January 1 this year has found that there were a ‘considerable’ number of visitors obtaining on-arrival visas. Immigration Controller Chulananda Perera told the Sunday Times that it had been observed that a considerable number of applicants preferred to obtain on-arrival visas. In this respect, there are currently three counters provided a...

Ends 2011 with record 855,975 arrivalsBy Cheranka Mendis The high-flying tourism industry closed the year with a record 855,975 arrivals, marking a rise of 100,000 from the original target for the year. Statistics revealed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) yesterday noted

Following are excerpts of an interview with Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Secretary T.M.F. Packeer, who is also Managing Director and CEO of Asian Exotica Ltd. Q: Sri Lanka Tourism has a very clear future standing as articulated by the President, of 2.5 million visitors

Reuters: South Africa’s Sun City resort will invest $ 800 million in a tourism project in Sri Lanka, the Gead of the State-run Tourism Board said on Friday. Sun City resort is run by South African gaming and hotels group Sun International Ltd. It will be the largest ever investment in the country’s leisure sector, ...

Achieving another remarkable milestone in the country’s booming tourism industry, Sri Lanka Tourism welcomed the arrival of the record 800,000th tourist in 2011 at the Bandaranaike International Airport last evening. Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa and Managing Director Rumy

Achieving another remarkable milestone in the country’s booming tourism industry, Sri Lanka Tourism welcomed the arrival of 800,000th tourist in year 2011 at the Bandaranaike International Airport today (19th Dec.) evening, Sri Lanka tourism said in a press statement. This is the first time

Range of sectors discussed for investments during meeting between Qatar Premier and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa Range of sectors discussed for investments during meeting between Qatar Premier and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa (strap) Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Qatar   together with Yousf K...

International Consultants Chairman Ranjiv Goonawardena had kindly invited the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to participate by showcasing the great opportunity that Sri Lanka has to offer, at the Islamic Real Estate Finance (IREF) Summit and Gala Dinner Awards Ceremony of which it was a sponsor

IN 2010, the boost for Sri Lanka tourism was being named the top travel destination by the New York Times. As the dawn of 2012 emerges the plus point is being among the top six of National Geographic’s best global destinations. Upbeat on tourism, the Government is considering a target

Cabraal says that reserves were built to weather demanding situation, calls on the non-banking sector to seek funds from capital markets and wants it to target 70% of GDP by 2016 By Uditha Jayasinghe Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday defended declining reserves, insisting that they were built up to be used in times ...

Former Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Vasantha Leelananda in this interview with the Daily FT shares some key insights on the future of tourism industry in post-war Sri Lanka Q: Do you believe that the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is on the correct path in terms of sustainability and growth? A: Yes. ...

Corporate athletism programme to be launched to the private sector Each year globally the top four business professionals in a country who practice the values of Rotary, gets selected for a Group study exchange programmes(GSE) to different parts of the world by Rotary International. Some of the countries that Sri Lanka have partnered are Brazil, ...

Several top hotels including Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside have won several awards at the World Spice Food Festival’s Spice Competition. The festival kicked off on 28 October and will conclude today. The grand awards ceremony was held last night at the Water’s Edge with Sri Lanka

of innovation and diversification in marketing tourism. Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa ad...

Sri Lanka‘s tourist arrivals will reach unprecedented growth this year. The number of visitors is expected to reach the 800,000 mark. According to Sri Lanka Tourism the number of arrivals rose 27.2 percent in September from a year earlier and continued to rise every month on a year-on-year basis

Sri Lanka‘s tourist arrivals will reach unprecedented growth this year. The number of visitors is expected to reach the 800,000 mark.   According to Sri Lanka Tourism the number of arrivals rose 27.2 percent in September from a year earlier and continued to rise every month

Following the success of the World Spice Food Festival since 2005, Sri Lanka Tourism is once again staging the World Spice Food Festival 2011 with the aim of showcasing culinary expertise from around the world with added Sri Lankan flavour. The festival will be held from 28 October to 9 November

Viet Nam President promises full support, encourages investment in tourism, textile, agriculture, says consistent policies key to FDI By Uditha Jayasinghe Sealing Sri Lankan and Viet Nam ties, the Presidents of the two countries yesterday witnessed the signing of eight  agreements, including one on oil and gas exploration. Speaking at the Sri Lanka-Viet Nam Business ...

By Devin Jayasundera The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) in celebrating its 125th anniversary announced the launch of the SLMA 2012 International Conference and Exhibitions to professionals in the medical field and the media on 4 October. The theme of this year’s conference will be ‘Global Forum for Sri Lankan Doctors’. The SLMA, which is ...

The Department of Immigration and Emigration yesterday launched the trial version of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme which will come into force from 1 January 2012. The ETA will grant prior approval for visa via online for the foreign nationals who visit Sri Lanka and those who travel via Sri Lanka for short-term requirements. ...

The Hotel Sector has for the first time issued a commemorative stamp on behalf of World tourism Day.The launch of the commemorative stamp by Cinnamon Grand Hotel Group was held on the sidelines of World Tourism Day under the patronage of Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the Hotel premises. Post Master General M.K.B. Dissanayake presented the ...

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa met high level business delegations led by the French Ambassador and the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka respectively with a view to promoting investments from France and the United Kingdom. Addressing the business community that included some of the leading enterprises in the fields of insurance, garments, tourism and ...

Last week I received an invite for an ‘Inventors Day Celebration’ in one of the leading schools in the country and the master in charge shared a thought that I felt was a cutting edge idea. Apparently, every one of us is an inventor in some part of our daily life. The issue is that ...