New CEO Kapila Chandrasena upbeat on prospects for national carrier and Sri Lanka as a tourist destination post-warWhen the news of the impending change at the top in the national carrier broke, the Daily FT headlined the lead story on 6 May 2011 as ‘Turb-UL-ence,’ with a pun. But for the man in the hot ...

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. International Consultants sponsored for the second year the ninth ...

Last week my phone beeped and the text message read ‘The Chairperson of the Security and Exchange Commission Indrani Sugathadasa had resigned citing reasons of values and principles for her resignation’. My mind went back to the time when this lady when she was the Board Director at EDB. Whenever tough decisions had be taken ...

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 of 950,000 arrivals for 2012 ...

By Ian The President in his speech at the opening of the Southern Expressway said that this could be the beginning of building a modern society. He also mentioned that had there been such an expressway linking the north with the south the extremists would not have succeeded in capitalising on the mistrust among communities. ...

The best way to make the benefits of ICT to reach all the people, especially the disadvantaged as envisaged by the President is to develop local e-content talent, said President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga. The Presidential Secretary said so while participating as the Guest of Honour at the e-Swabhimani Awards 2011 held in Colombo recently. Speaking ...

FRANKFURT (Reuters): Uncertainties caused by the euro zone debt crisis and a stuttering global economy could hit spending next year on holidays by Germans, the world’s top spenders on trips abroad, a German travel association said. “Our market researchers forecast moderate market growth of between two and three per cent,” the DRV said on Thursday. ...

This is the week of Budget bashing for some and for others it is the week for inventing cute ways to meet the bashes. As is usual for most, it is looking at this all in the ‘what’s in it for me?’ mode. For some, it is also about ‘who said what’ and not ‘what’s ...

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced that New York city will reach a record 90,000 hotel rooms by year’s end, representing a 24% increase since 2006. More than 7,000 rooms are in the pipeline that will add to the city’s hotel inventory, with an average 40% of new openings taking place in boroughs other than ...

By Cheranka Mendis The tourism industry yesterday welcomed the reduction in the online visa processing fee from the initial US$ 50 flat rate for every country, giving into the concerns and objections of industry stakeholders. The scheme, scheduled to be in effect from January 2012, will now charge US$ 10 from travellers from South Asian ...

Airline, unions appear again before govt-ordered labour tribunal Qantas says 447 flights grounded, 68,000 passengers affected since Sat PM calls for end to dispute World leaders at Perth meeting among those affected Rival airlines put on more flights MELBOURNE, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Qantas Airways and its unions appeared before a labour tribunal on Sunday ...

The last week was an eventful week indeed. We barely recovered from the news of the death of the maverick inventor Steve Jobs. Although I am a loyal Microsoft right-brain person, I admired the ‘left-brain innovative spirit’ of Apple and the ingenuity of the man. He had not gone to university and had what some ...

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) says there is no need for travel agents and tourists to change Thailand travel plans due to flooding to the north of Bangkok. PATA head office is located in Bangkok city centre which is operating normally. PATA Interim CEO Bill Calderwood said today: “As you are aware from TV ...

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s worst floods in decades have jolted a global supply chain already straining under the impact of Japan’s tsunami, as deluged factories threaten some of the kingdom’s key export industries. The floods have killed about 300 people, damaged one-tenth of Thailand’s rice paddy and made major roads north of Bangkok impassable. Toyota, Ford, ...

DNH Financial shares some key insights to the upcoming earnings season and how to manage investments in the Colombo stock marketFIn the absence of any significant news, the Sri Lanka bourse continued to trade on a lacklustre note with the ASPI and MPI falling by 2.2% and 1.7%WoW to close the week at 6,550 and ...

A new cable car system being built across the River Thames in London will be sponsored by Emirates Airline in its biggest UK sponsorship deal since Arsenal. Emirates Airline President Tim Clark and Mayor of London Boris Johnson have announced the AED 204 million ($55 million) agreement between the airline, the Mayor’s office and Transport ...

Justice and fair-play is paramount Justice and fair-play are of paramount importance to all members of the world family consisting of 193 nations expecting justice and fair-play equally. It is the principle on which the United Nations was established in place of the less-effective League of Nations, in order to settle differences among nations based ...

AS Sri Lanka celebrated World Tourism Day yesterday, it seems an opportune time to discuss the positives as well as the challenges facing Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Government on Tuesday unveiled ambitious plans to provide employment in the tourism industry to one in seven people on the back of a 50 per cent earnings ...

Industry expects modest growth but no boom expectationsby Cheranka Mendis The tourism industry is looking at a 10-15% increase during the coming winter season although there will be no sell-out as earlier expected, according to industry experts. The season, which usually amounts to the highest number of arrivals each year, was initially expected to bring ...

New offerings Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa and Chaaya Wild Yala to be launched on 1 NovemberBy Marianne David The John Keells Hotels Group’s latest offerings – Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa and Chaaya Wild Yala – are gearing up to take the industry by storm, as the group continues with heavy investments, throwing its weight behind Sri Lanka’s ...

Tiger Woods heads Emirates Australian Open Field The Australian Open is set to soar to even greater heights with the announcement that Emirates will partner the championship as the new naming rights sponsor for the next three years in an agreement with event promoters World Sport Group.  The sponsorship further deepens Emirates’ commitment to golf ...

  By Sachin David The Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka (ARASL) yesterday announced that the 27th National Rowing Championships will be held from September 15 to 17 on the waters of the Bolgoda Lake.  ARASL President Rohan Fernando (right) receives the replica of sponsorship cheque from Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel General Manager Corporate Operations ...

The Sri Lanka Private Sector Assessment of the Report to the United Nations Secretary General by the Panel of Experts on accountability in Sri Lanka was released on Thursday. The private sector critique is a compilation of views raised by a private sector group in Sri Lanka who are concerned about the content of the ...

Reuters: England piled more misery on India with a thrilling six-wicket victory in a one-off Twenty20 match at Old Trafford on Wednesday. After losing the test series 4-0, India started brightly in the shortest version of the game and racked up 165 all out, only to see England reach their target with three balls to ...

(Reuters) – Saudi Arabia is excavating a new archeological site that will show horses were domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Arabian peninsula, the country’s antiquities expert said on Wednesday. The discovery of the civilization, named al-Maqar after the site’s location, will challenge the theory that the domestication of animals took place 5,500 years ago ...

By Marianne David Warm, welcoming and exuding good cheer, the Cinnamon Lakeside’s newest General Manager Denis Gruhier perfectly fits into the best qualities the hospitable hotel is well-known for and his affirmation of Sri Lanka’s optimistic post-war outlook for tourism in particular and the country in general is welcoming news indeed. Having joined the Lakeside ...

Combined publicity programme The Government’s plan to formulate a combined publicity programme to build a unified brand for Sri Lanka tourism is well timed and one of the brilliant steps taken in the right direction. It is noted that the project is to be named Tourism Promotion Programme (TPP). Currently Sri Lanka is at the ...

The Egyptian city of Aswan will host the official 2011 World Tourism Day celebrations, which will include a High-Level Think Tank on this year’s theme, ‘Tourism – Linking Cultures’. “It is most fitting that Egypt, home to some of the world’s most celebrated cultural heritage and a leading tourism destination, be the host country for ...

The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) and the China Muslim Travel Association (CMTA) have sealed their tourism cooperation deal. The new partnership is deemed to boost tourism between Malaysia and China. Tourism Malaysia Acting Director-General Datuk Azizan Noordin was quoted in eTurbo News that with the collaboration between these two associations, they ...

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Sri Lanka expanded 7.90 percent in the first quarter of 2011 over the same quarter, previous year. Historically, from 2003 until 2011, Sri Lanka's average quarterly GDP Growth was 6.26 percent reaching an historical high of 8.60 percent in December of 2010 and a record low of 1.50 percent in March of 2009. Sri Lanka is a developing economy off the southern coas...