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: ...

Can sharing an idea help take it from the drawing board to the marketplace? Talk may cost nothing but new research indicates it gives an entrepreneur a better chance of success By Jane Williams INSEAD Knowledge: It may not be necessary to have the charisma of Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs

Etihad Airways has signed a deal valued at more than a billion US dollars with aviation computer technology provider Sabre Airline Solutions. The ten-year deal will see Etihad Airways utilise cutting edge, integrated software across its reservations, inventory, marketing, planning, eCommerce, distribution and departure control operations. The Sabre-created software will be be implemented by Februa...

SINGAPORE (Reuters): Asian stocks rose more than 1 percent and U.S. index futures also gained on Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a year-end bounce for riskier assets. European shares were also expected to open higher, helped by a 0.5 percent rise in S&P 500 index futures that pointed ...

The growing local online community and the huge influx of tourists to Sri Lanka, which inspired Colombo Top 500 to launch its revolutionary platform, has taken off well, the company stated this week. Dialog, Odel, Keells, Laugfs and Casa Colombo are among the over 25 leading brands, which have registered with the CT500 online model ...

Standard Chartered Bank will be the main sponsor of the Colombo Art Biennale’s “Becoming” exhibition, to be held from 15 to 19 February 2012 at Park Street Mews. Standard Chartered has a reputation for being committed to the enduring development of the communities in which they operate and has been known to sponsor a wide ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), as part of its ‘Power Evening’ series of events, presented an eclectic combination of chairmen from leading organisations in the country last week and at the occasion delved into the subject ‘Performing While Conforming – What the Textbooks Don’t Teach You’ by sharing experiences from ...

Specialising in the development of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, Bileeta (Private) Limited has earned a reputation – both here and abroad – for providing a cutting-edge solution to both medium and large-scale enterprises. CEO Sanji De Silva and COO Sanka Weerasinghe of Bileeta are on an aggressive growth path that continues to gain recognition, ...

The city plans to replace the Westlake district's makeshift sidewalk swap meet with its own licensed marketplace. But in area where life seems to revolve around illegal street vending, change may not come easily.The hustle begins each day at sundown: " Computadoras !" " Bicicletas !" " Carne asada !"

Indrani Sugathadasa, Chairperson of Sri Lanka's Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has finally caved in -- resigning from the post after a running battle with powerful investors and other brokers over stringent regulatory measures, SEC officials said on Thursday. Ms Sugathadasa, appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had vowed to stay on and fight against these powerful interests partic...

Countries get known for various reasons and some labels stick for long time. Citizens almost always mould the character of the nation. It is usual to hear the efficiency and punctuality of Germans. We Sri Lankans boast of being known for our hospitality and friendliness – may be at least to outsiders. However, it is ...

The Grant Group of Companies flew high at the Effies this year. After winning Effies last year (2010), they once again proved their strong leadership position in strategic creativity, winning one silver (Etisalat) and three bronze awards (Singer Washing Machines, Gem & Jewellery Association and Women In Need). The Grants team receiving the award Grants ...

ACCA with its 15 year record in championing transparency and accountability in relation to sustainability issues,held a discussion recently at the Cinnamon Grand on the topic of Sustainability Reporting –the transparency revolution . The keynote speaker at this occasion was Santhosh Jayaram Head of Sustainability   and Business Excellence Services (South Asia) for Det Norske Verita...

Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the most powerful Arab woman in the world, who is also the Minister of Foreign Trade of United Arab Emirates, will be arriving in Colombo tomorrow on a three-day official visit amidst renewed bilateral trade efforts between Sri Lanka and UAE. She is visiting Sri Lanka on ...

As 2011 draws to a close, Intel Corporation, leaders and tech industry futurists,  have taken a look into their high-tech crystal balls to make predictions about what technological trends will likely stand out next year. “We have come a long way and have reached a very significant point in time,” said Indika De Zoysa, Country ...

DUBAI, UAE: Emirates airline produced a net profit of Dhs 827 million (US$ 225 million), for the first six months of its current financial year ending 30th September 2011.  The airline continues to be the fastest growing airline in the world and continues to make a profit despite unstable global economic, geopolitical and environmental conditions. ...

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, one of the world’s largest logistics providers, is playing its part to support Sri Lanka’s new emerging economic superpower; design. Hellmann will be a partner of The Sri Lanka Design Festival which will take place from 16-0 November 2011 at Mount Lavinia Hotel. The event which is organised by the Academy of ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas The ‘Technology Marketplace,’ a unique initiative highlighted as the ‘show and tell to the industry’ organised by the Ministry of Technology and Research, has been hailed as a great success and an event that industries have been yearning

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has been awarded the Regional Airline of the Year 2011 by CAPA – the Centre for Aviation, a leading aviation research body. Every year, CAPA awards outstanding performance in various sectors of the aviation industry and the CAPA Regional Airline of the Year is awarded to a regional ...

The ‘Technology Marketplace,’ a unique initiative highlighted as the ‘show and tell to the industry’ organised by the Ministry of Technology and Research, was held at the BMICH on 24-25 October – Pix by Upul Abeyasekara

Colombo (Sri Lanka Mirror) - Minister Basil Rajapaksa opened the two-day “Technology Marketplace” exhibition at the BMICH in Colombo today (Oct. 24). The "Technology Marketplace" is an event that seeks to link scientific research with Industry so as to forge partnerships

Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa declared open the ‘Technology Marketplace’ exhibition at the BMICH yesterday. The ‘Technology Marketplace’ is an event that seeks to link scientific research with industry so as to forge partnerships that will ensure

The “Technology Marketplace” Exhibition opens, introducing new products to the Small and Medium Scale Industrial Sector.Organized by the Ministry of Technology and Research, the Technology Fair and Exhibition is being held at the BMICH premises. Its opening took place today under the patronage

“Technology  Marketplace” exhibition was declared open by the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa at the  Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, today.

As Sri Lankan consumers become more brand-conscious, local and multinational companies have intensified their competition for the hearts, minds, and wallets of these shoppers. A key front in this battle is the need to define a distinctive and consistent brand identity through packaging design. At Q&E, a team of brand architects and designers takes a ...

Lessons to be learned Some of us believe in auspicious time, faith and luck. This is very much important in this part of the world. What about the colour? As human beings we have the ability to see different colours. Humans, apes, most old world monkeys, ground squirrels, and many species of fish, birds, and ...

Travelport has signed agreements with six travel agencies in the Asia Pacific region to participate in the regional testing and development of its Travelport Universal Desktop. The new contracts follow successful agency trials and positive feedback from global launch partner, Flight Centre and UK beta test customer Global Travel Management in the UK. The new ...

On 24 and 25 October, the BMICH will see a market place with a difference and an important difference at that, considering current national needs. Hopefully this would spin a differ ence to the way we hope to develop our economy in the mindsets of practitioners, planners and bankers alike.   Listening to the inside, ...

International tourist arrivals are forecast to reach 1.8 billion by 2030 according to the newly released UNWTO long-term forecast, Tourism Towards 2030. The report, presented on the occasion of the 19th session of the UNWTO General Assembly, confirms that international tourism will continue to grow in a sustained manner in the next two decades (8-14 ...

Bags overall gold; middleware products shine at NBQSA 2011 AwardsWSO2 announced yesterday that products from its WSO2 Carbon enterprise middleware platform won six categories of the National Best Quality Software Awards for 2011 (NBQSA 2011). WSO2 Application Server won the NBQSA 2011 Overall Gold Award, as well as the Gold Award in the Tools and ...