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- PROSOL AND AKZONOBEL INCENTIVE IN SRI LANKA21 delegates of Prosol and AkzoNobel from Germany arrived in Sri Lanka on 22 January for an incentive program.The group will experience Sri Lanka with Diethelm Travel till the 28th January. This tour was organised and promoted by Ludewig Tours, their proprietor Rainer Ludewig himself was on our island to welcome this group.
- PROSOL AND AKZONOBEL INCENTIVE IN SRI LANKA21 delegates of Prosol and AkzoNobel from Germany arrived in Sri Lanka on 22 January for an incentive program.The group will experience Sri Lanka with Diethelm Travel till the 28th January. This tour was organised and promoted by Ludewig Tours, their proprietor Rainer Ludewig himself was on our island to welcome this group.
- SRI LANKA RATED FOURTH BEST FOR HALAL-FRIENDLY TOURISM“Crescentrating” (Halal website) announced its Top 10 Halal Friendly Holiday Destinations for 2012 and Sri Lanka has been ranked as the world’s fourth best non-Islamic destination. This year’s top 10 destinations were split into two categories; Top 10 among the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries and the top 10 among the other countries.Bosnia and Herzegovina top the latter category followed by Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka. In listing Sri Lanka, the website said Sri Lanka’s large Muslim population means Halal restaurants are aplenty in addition to number of Muslim-owned roadside food outlets. Among OIC countries Malaysia ranked top followed by Egypt and Turkey.All of the non OIC countries listed have the basic Halal friendly facilities available as well, though they may not be as frequent or as popular as in OIC countries. The destinations offer unique surroundings, atmospheres and attractions for the many visitors they welcome.Crescentrating Pte Ltd. is a Singapore based company focused on the development of the Halal Friendly Travel market segment worldwide.For a more in-depth look at the Halal Friendly Holiday Destinations of 2012, visit www.crescentrating.com.
- SRI LANKA’S CLUB HOTEL DOLPHIN HAS WON THE PRESTIGIOUS ITS RED STAR INTERNATIONAL AWARD
Club Hotel Dolphin brought honour to Sri Lanka by winning the ITS Red Star Award for the third consecutive year, By winning this award, Club Hotel Dolphin has been recognized as the very best in the country.
The ITS brand has the largest selection of hotels amongst the Tour Operators of the Travel and tourism division of REWE Group. The focus of the ITS program is on three-to-four star hotels. The ITS Red Star Award is awarded to the best and most popular 60 hotels worldwide. The selection for the award mainly focuses on three key factors - referrals from their guests, consistent high standards of service delivery, and high levels of guest satisfaction.
This club-concept hotel is located in the seaside hamlet of Waikkal and is just a half hour’s drive from the international airport and 90 minutes north of Colombo. This hotel has total of 150 rooms including 98 deluxe main rooms, and 50 individual cottages. The hotel has two pools – one of which is the largest pool in Sri Lanka. The hotel also offers to its guests a wide choice of activities such as tennis, squash, volleyball, badminton, darts, archery,
croquette and mini golf. The animation team keeps guests occupied with activities such as water aerobics, a club dance, bingo nights, karaoke evenings, fire limbos and animation shows. For those who prefer something more tranquil, a relaxing spa treatment or a lazy afternoon by the ‘quiet pool’ is available. Guests can also take an interesting tour of the Negombo churches that were built during the colonial period, or opt to visit Colombo on a shopping spree.
The REWE Group which presents this Award is a multi-national company and a diversified retail and tourism group based in Germany. Its current turnover is around 50.91 billion Euros, and it operates in 14 European countries and employs over 325,000 people in its trading and travel divisions. The hotel is managed by Serendib Leisure Management, a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings PLC.
- SRI LANKA OPENS ITS 04TH GOLF COURSE
The 04th Golf Course in Sri Lanka - “Eagles’ Golf Links” was declared open on the 07th January 2012. Owned and maintained by the Sri Lanka Air Force, the Eagles golf course unfolds its lush green fairways in the distant corner of China Bay, a few kilometers off Trincomalee.
The Eagles golf course is said to be truly complete with fairways extending down from par 3 to par 5 and challenges which include water hazards, sand bunkers, roughs and of course doglegs left and right.
There is an outstanding and breathtaking view from the teeing grounds. Rising and sinking carpets of green, traditionally designed arch bridges and cozy shades of garden hedges will be a absolute delight when you walk along the fairways.
China Bay - a treasure trove of history; where it was blessed with military presence since the time of the British. Now the home to one of Sri Lanka’s largest airfields which was needed to cover the world’s second deepest natural harbour. Trincomalee was one of two targets attacked by Admiral Nagumo’s fleet during the Second World War, however was deftly defended by the Royal Air Force. This tense military situation warranted a significant presence in Trincomalee, evidence of their presence can be seen in and around the general area having receded into being relics of a long lost legacy. The Eagles golf link simply blends in with history to link the days of yesteryear to a hopeful future.
The aesthetically designed club house is standing at the beginning of the first tee, a great place for golfer who seeks relaxation the club house offers a unique sense of natural beauty. The lounge and open lawns recede into the bay and simply mesmerize any body, whether a golfer or not. The Eagles golf course also offers the services of luxury cabins which can be aptly termed as star class. This offers the golfer the chance to truly relax away from the hustles of a busy life.
This course offers much more than ‘Golf’ - The calm and somber waters, that presents itself to the club house and the cabins offer a unique and novel opportunity for Angling - a side hobby which you might want to try out during the stay
- SOUTH ASIA'S TALLEST TOWER IN SRI LANKA
An agreement was signed to construct a 350 meter tower - which will be the tallest tower in South Asia; today. This multi functional tower hopes to provide facilities for 50 television services, 50 broadcasting services and ten telecommunication providers. Construction work hopes to be completed within 30 months.
This eleven storied tower is planned to have a revolving restaurant on the fourth floor, This very unique restaurant where 600 persons could partake meals at a time and have a great viewing scenery of the Colombo city.
The huge Reception Hall is expected to accommodate about one thousand persons and this could provide a great opportunity to hold mega functions.
The 350 meter Lotus Tower will be the tallest building in South Asia and the 19th tallest building in the world. It will be 26 meter taller than the Eiffel Tower (324 meter in hight) and 17.4 meters taller than the 332.6 meter high Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Sky Tree with a height of 634 meters presently being constructed and scheduled to be completed in February this year will be the tallest tower in the world followed by the Canton Tower of China with a height of 600 meters.
Source - www.news.lk
- SRILANKAN FLY ZURICH VIA MALESriLankan Airlines spreads its wings to the Swiss city of Zurich today, this would be the 58th destination in SriLankan’s global route network which would then span 33 countries. The service would serve travellers in Switzerland, southern Germany, eastern France and Austria, all of which also have a considerable number of expats. The Zurich-Colombo flight will operate via Male in the Maldive IslandsIn the past 11 months the airline has launched services to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kochi and Moscow. Zurich was served by Sri Lanka’s National Carrier for a quarter of a century from 1980, but the service was suspended in 2005 during a global slump in air travel.The Zurich service would be operated on wide-bodied Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft with luxurious interiors, Flat Bed Seating, and state of the art Audio Video On Demand (AVOD) entertainment systems. The service will initially be twice-weekly on Monday and Friday and would be increased in the future.Since the dawn of peace Tourism from Europe to Sri Lanka has witnessed tremendous growth in the past two years. With global travellers rediscovering the attractions of the island known as Paradise for millennia – excellent hotels, golden beaches, tropical jungles, mist-swathed mountains, 2,500-year-old cultural sites and bargain shopping.
- FIRST FLOATING RESTAURANT IN THE ISLANDSri Lanka’s first floating restaurant in the country was declared open by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night. Named as the "Pontoon North 8°", the floating restaurant in the Beira Lake in Colombo has been launched under the sponsorship of Cinnamon Lake Side Hotel.The Pantoon North 8° is 70-feet long and was built at a cost of 100 million rupees. This can accommodate 100 persons.
- SRILANKAN DOUBLES FLIGHTS FROM GCCAs a result of substantial increase in inbound traffic (especially from the GCC) Sri Lankan Airlines is scheduled to nearly double their flight frequency to Colombo from the different destinations in the region.Mr Lal Perera, Sri Lankan Airlines Regional Manager for Middle East and Africa, said at a media briefing on 18th Dec, Sunday at the Al Falaj Hotel that “....almost 43.2 per cent increase in passengers coming into Colombo from the GCC states,” He also said that so far until the end of November in 2011, at least 85, 990 people had visited Sri Lanka from the GCC and expects the number to go up to 95,000 or beyond by the end of this year.Mr Perera added that the airline had decided to double its frequency from Muscat to Colombo. “We had two flights a week but now we will operate four flights a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,” adding that there could be further increase in flights in future.The airline also intend to operate daily flights from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait
Source – Gulfnews.com December 19, 2011
- NEW FERRY SERVICE IN KALU GANGAA new ferry service has commenced along the Kalu Ganga (River) from Bulathsinhala (Devamulla area) to Kalutara and will transport fifty passengers at a time. This service has been launched by a private operator, I.S.W. Karunathilake ; and only one ferry will operate in the first phase, but more vessels are to be utilised in the near future.The river route passes picturesque scenery and expects to be popular among the local and foreign tourists.Source: Colombo page
- SRI LANKA AMOUNG NETGEO'S WORLDS 20 BEST PLACES TO VISIT
The award-winning National Geographic Traveler magazine`s November/December 2011 issue has picked Sri Lanka as one of the 20 best places to visit in 2012.
It features Sri Lanka's luscious green tea plantations in the hill country, ancient Buddhist temples of Dambulla, Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Wildlife in Yala and the UNESCO`s world heritage site of Central Highlands that cradles the Adam`s Peak.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2012/?fb_ref=.TtYdW--kIiI.like&fb_source=profile_oneline#/05-gallery-sri-lanka-tea-harvest_41297_600x450.jpg
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2012/sri-lanka-photos/
- “SHOPPING PRECINCT” AT THE 18TH CENTURY FORMER DUTCH HOSPITAL
Tourism development announced today (02nd Dec’11); the much awaited launch of the former Dutch Hospital of Colombo Fort as a Shopping Precinct. This hopes to become the latest tourist attraction in the city. The old Colombo Dutch Hospital in Colombo Fort that was built by Dutch colonial rulers in 18th century.
The property was converted into a tourist attraction while retaining its original Dutch architecture. As per records the hospital was said to be built during the rule of the Dutch from 1656 to 1796. A Dutch map drawn in 1732 shows the hospital at its present site. However, according to a description by Christopher Schweitzer (a German national who was in Sri Lanka serving the Dutch from 1676 to 1682), the hospital had existed since 1681
During the colonial era, the Dutch hospital was established to cater to medical requirements of the staff of the Dutch East India Company. It was located close to the harbour as it was convenient to transport patients from the ships.While the building was renovated with modernized state-of-the-art facilities, special attention was paid not to change the original structure. The shopping precinct which consists of 12 stalls including a restaurant, jewelers, textile and handicraft stalls and will target high end tourist.This would be a unique centre, centrally located surrounded by city hotels, Dutch Architecture that was retained to be witnessed by visitors into Sri Lanka and a place to shop and dine.Source. http://srilanka.travel/index.php?route=event/travelnews&news=77
- SHERATON HOTEL IN SRI LANKAIndia's ITC Ltd, franchisee for US-based Sheraton leisure group will invest 300 million US dollars in Sri Lanka's on a beachfront in Colombo.The new property will be located on a seven-acre plot of land right by Colombo’s beautiful waterfront and will sit facing the Galle Face Green promenade. The Sheraton group aims to build on Sri Lanka’s recent popularity among worldwide tourists and take a share of the island’s booming tourism market with the purpose of creating a new high end accommodation option for discerning leisure and business travellers.
- ON ARRIVAL VISA CLARIFICATION
A new clarification issued by immigration authorities issued on November 30 states that the existing facility of “Free Visa on arrival will continue until 31 March 2012 for those who are making travel arrangements before 31 December 2011.” This system will be in force alongside the new visa regulation under the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system that will be operational from January 1, 2012. Visitors will need to apply online before 1st January 2011 to get this benefit.
It is recommended that tourists obtain their online visas prior to arrival, visa upon arrival is also available at a supplementary cost of US $ 5 in addition to the regular rate.
The new charge of US$ 10 for travellers from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and US$ 20 from non-SAARC countries will be implemented. According to the revised structure, children under 12 years of age and transit passengers stopping over for 48 hours in Sri Lanka would not be charged a visa processing fee.
Please visit www.eta.gov.lk for more information.
SOURCE : 4th dec11 -- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111204/BusinessTimes/bt03.html
- COLOMBO NIGHT RACES - DEC 16, 17After sunset on the 16 and 17th December 2011, the busy streets of Colombo will be invaded by mean machines. The inaugural Colombo Night Races hopes to take motor racing in Sri Lanka to another level with races scheduled to take place in the capital Colombo.The races hope to see both cars and motor bikes line up in different categories on a circuit that is drawn out from Colombo streets. According to the organizers ten car events and seven bikes events are on cards, the main race day will be December 17 following the qualifying races on previous day.The races are conducted on the streets that will be totally re-laid especially for the event. Different races will be held for Minis, Fords, Mazdas, Honda Civics in addition to Super Cars and Formula Fords. The main feature of the event will be the combined race for GT3 and GT4 cars where top international competitors drive featuring exotic racing machines. Fans will get the opportunity of seeing Aston Martins, Porsches, BMWs, Moslers, Lamborghinis and other racing cars competing on home soil.The race circuit sets off opposite Galadari Hotel on Lotus Road and run towards Fort and will take a left turn towards Chatham Street. The drivers will take a right turn to Duke Street which runs towards Main Street opposite Gaffoor Building. Then they will turn left on Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha and run past the Cargills Building on York Street. The route will then take a right turn to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha and towards Ceylon Continental Hotel and turn left towards the roundabout opposite Galadari Hotel where the lap will be completed.
Source: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111106/Sports/spt17.html and http://sports.dailymirror.lk/2011/11/10/colombo-night-race/
- BEST GOLF COURSE IN SUB-CONTINENT IS IN SRI LANKA
The Victoria Golf & Country Resort won the 'Best Golf Course in Sub - Continent' award for the fifth time this year, on the 12th edition of the Asian Golf Awards 2011.
A 24 strong panel of judges had evaluated the voting of the readership of the Asian Golf Magazine, to arrive at the winners. This year’s Golf Awards was held at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall in Thailand on 2nd of November 2011.
- SRI LANKA'S FIRST HIGHWAY OPENSSri Lanka's President on Sunday (27th Nov) unveiled the island's first expressway, linking the capital and the southern city of Galle.The four-lane highway links the island's southern port city of Galle with Colombo and has eight entry points at Kahathuduwa, Gelanigama, Dodamgoda, Welipenna, Kurundugaha Hethekma, Baddegama and Pinnaduwa. Sri Lankan government also plans to develop eight new townships along the road where the entry/exit points of the expressway are located. New fuel stations and other infrastructure are now being developed in these towns.The maximum speed on the highway is set at 100 Km per hour enabling the motorists to reach Galle in approx an hour.In the second phase of the development the expressway will be extended to Matara. The segment from Galle to Matara is sceduled to open for public in 2013, Also preliminary plans to extend the Southern expressway up to Hambantota and Kataragama have been finalized.
- SECOND ZOO IN APRIL 2012
As per the Director General of Sri Lanka Zoological Gardens, Mr Bhashwara Senanka Gunarathna, the first phase of Sri Lanka's new zoo established in Pinnawela is scheduled to be opened in April 2012.
The 48-acre, first stage of the Pinnawela zoo is adjacent to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage will comprise only animals, birds and other fauna endemic to Sri Lanka. The zoo intends to have a special open section displaying the free-roaming Sri Lankan leopard. The second phase of the project is to house foreign species. The complete zoo will covers 100 acres approximately.
Source - ColomboPage
- BALLOON OVER COLOMBOSri Lanka recently launched hot air ballooning over Colombo, with daily flights scheduled from November onwards as part of plans to boost leisure activities in the city. (There are also seasonal balloon flights in the central areas of Dambulla, Sigiriya and Habarana) Already several take off points near Colombo has been identified for ballooning.A balloon basket can carry upto sixteen passengers and flights are likely to be scheduled between six to seven O’clock in the mornings as the winds are generally calm at this time, The recommended best time for ballooning is considered to be within 2 hours of sunrise or two hours of sunset.
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