The Daily FT spoke to the Immediate Past President of Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and Chairman and Managing Director of Conniassance de Ceylan Ltd., on the state of post-war Sri Lanka tourism industry, the progress and key challenges as well as future prospects and how best they could be harnessed. Here ...

Blue chip conglomerate Aitken Spence PLC has reported its interim results to the Colombo Stock Exchange on Monday, showing Rs. 3.02 billion as pre-tax profit and Rs. 1.95 billion as profit attributable to shareholders for the nine months ended 31 December 2011; an increase of 24% and 20% respectively over the previous year. For the ...

Private equity and investment banking boutique, Mercantile Merchant Bank Ltd., (MMBL) and family-owned leisure giant Jetwing Group are together taking the road less travelled to create new opportunities in the former war torn North by commissioning the biggest ever private sector investment in the region. The two firms, via an equally-owned joint venture will be ...

Preliminary results released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show a collective increase of 6% year-on-year for international arrivals into Asia/Pacific1 destinations during each of the months of October and November 2011. For the first 11 months of the year, South Asia was the star growth performer, followed by Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and ...

Hot on the heels of the opening of Citrus Hikkaduwa, a 93-room luxury resort, Citrus Leisure Plc yesterday laid the foundation stone for Citrus Waskaduwa, a 150-room 5-star luxury resort that is expected to be opened towards the end of 2012. The foundation stone was ceremonially laid by Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa ...

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 ...

Effects first major move to become a self-made entrepreneur; his new venture N Capital acquires 70% stake Aspires to make iconic 35-room resort luxurious with Rs. 500 m investment to add 50 more rooms under a new wing and plush refurbishment Says deep south will be centre of economic, tourism and recreation boom with air ...

By Cheranka Mendis Construction work for the 350 metre iconic Lotus Tower commenced yesterday following the foundation laying ceremony at the auspicious time of 10:28 a.m. The tower, which will be the tallest tower in South Asia, is located down D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, overlooking the Beira Lake and is budgeted at an estimated cost of ...

Its blow is a slender vertical column of spray rising to 30 feet in height, comparable to a three storey building, its heart the size of a small car. Weighing in at over 100 tons with its body spanning over 30m in length, the Blue Whale is the largest creature to have ever lived. Seeing ...

LAUGFS Leisure Limited a fully owned subsidiary of LAUGFS Gas PLC announced yesterday the appointment of veteran hotelier Sirilal Miththapala to its Board of Directors. Miththapala joins LAUGFS Leisure Board at a time the company is taking serious initiatives to be a leading player in the hospitality industry in Sri Lanka. LAUGFS Leisureis currently involved ...

On 19 January 2012 at the Galle Heritage Villa by Jetwing, history will be made – Sri Lanka’s first guidebook to responsible tourism will be launched amidst the backdrop of the prestigious HSBC Galle Literary Festival. Titled ‘Paradise Exorcised,’ compiled and written by the renowned Juliet Coombe, the book seeks to educate the traveller on ...

Club Hotel Dolphin, managed by Serendib Leisure Management and a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings Plc, brought honour to Sri Lanka by winning the ITS Red Star Award for the third consecutive year under the ITS programme managed by the REWE Group, Germany, recently. The ITS brand has the largest hotel selection amongst the tour operators ...

“Our sense is that if we do not act boldly and if we do not act together, the economy around the world runs the risk of a downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and potential collapse of global demand… we could run the risk of what some commentators are already calling the lost decade” – ...

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 by 2016. Is this expectation realistic? A: ...

LOLC Leisure buys popular Dickwella Resort for Rs. 1 b LOLC Leisure yesterday announced the strategic acquisition of Dickwella Resort in the deep south of Sri Lanka, thereby expanding its formidable presence in the country’s hospitality industry. Located at the southern-most tip of Sri Lanka, Dickwella Resort is universally acknowledged as having the most stunning ...

A survey conducted last week on the health of the Sri Lankan economy revealed that almost 64% said that the Government had done its task but only 43% had said that there had been growth in the economy. Whilst some can say that this data is strange, a similar set of information was shared at ...

President Eisenhower raised the alarm in 1961; its relevance today‘But most shall he sing of Lanka In the brave new days to come, When the races all have blended And the voice of strife is dumb, When we leap to a single bugle, March to a single drum.’ From ‘The Call of Lanka’, by the ...

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, ...

AT times, the inevitable comes as a surprise. The death of a British tourist over the weekend and the severe allegations levelled at a local politician at first glance sounds like the plot for a bad movie, but the gravity of it for the tourism industry of Sri Lanka cannot be denied. Safety for tourists ...

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...

 8° on the Lake to set sail  on 20 December By Cassandra Mascarenhas Amidst the rapid development and beautification that Colombo is currently undergoing, Colombo’s five-star city hotel Cinnamon Lakeside is preparing itself to make a new unique addition to their line-up of offerings in time for the festive season while at the same time, ...

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 ...

Twenty-three students who received training under the NDB Jeevana Livelihood Development Scheme recently graduated in Colombo. The students passed out following a comprehensive training course in Hotel Operations, conducted in association with the International Hotel School of Mt. Lavinia Hotel. This is the second batch from the east coast to have completed and graduated in ...

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 ...

The defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 has wrought a perceptible change in Sri Lanka’s economic climate, recognised by international financial institutions, foreign media and economic analysts, says in an article on Bangkok Post published on November 28. “Today they see Sri Lanka as one of Asia’s fast-growing nations with huge potential”, the report ...

Veteran golfers from all parts of India will converge on Sri Lanka’s celebrated Victoria Golf Course in Digana, Kandy, to work off the finals of the Touché Golf League (TGL) on Saturday, 4 December. SriLankan Airlines joins this prestigious event and will fly in the winning teams from India, which includes top celebrities as Kapil ...

By Cheranka Mendis  World Travel Centre yesterday introduced the unique ‘Seat-in-Coach tours’ or ‘Scheduled Coach Tours,’ a series of regular functioning scheduled tours which will facilitate greater connectivity to travellers while promoting Sri Lanka’s key attractions. With an initial investment of Rs. 5 million exclusive of the coaches, World Travel Centre is ...

Famed star class hotel located on the Golden Mile of Beruwela, Eden Resort and Spa (LOLC Leisure Group Hotel), made history when it created the Signature Cocktail for Sri Lanka Tourism for the Year 2012 at a ceremony held in Mount Lavinia Hotel earlier this month. This event was held during the launch of the ...

Offering epic safari adventures, Chaaya Wild transcends expectations and enthrals nature enthusiastsBy Marianne David If there’s one message that Yala reinforces, it’s the fact Sri Lanka is so abundantly blessed – a miracle in many ways. Despite its rising position as a hotspot for leopards being temporarily halted in its tracks during the latter stages ...