Author: Jayantha Kovilagodage
Sri Lanka wild life park lures Shangri-La
Feb 25, 2011 (LBO) – Hong Kong based Shangri-La hotels has looked at two sites including one close to a well-known wild life reserve in southern Sri Lanka to site its second proposed hotel, an official said. Deputy minister for economic development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said visiting Shangri-La officials had examined a site close to […]
‘s program in tourism
Feb 21, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Colombo University has started a Master’s program in tourism to cater to the need for highly qualified professionals in the industry which is growing fast after the end of a 30-year war. “Now that the tourism industry is picking up fast there is a need for advanced qualifications […]
Sri Lanka plans US$90mn sale of east coast land
Feb 07, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will lease 500 acres of land in the east coast to hotel developers on a one-off payment for around 10 billion rupees (90 million US dollars) and the same model is likely to be followed in the north west Kalpitiya area, an official said. Hong Kong based Shangri-La […]
Sri Lanka whale watching boats warned to be careful
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s growing whale watching boats will have to develop and follow good practices so that whales will not be disturbed and scared away and the safety of passengers is also assured, a biologist has said. Sometimes boats converged on whales and there was danger of whales being chased. Sri […]
‘s second Shangri-La project in Hambantota
Jan 29, 2010 – (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s second hotel project by Hong Kong based Shangri-La group will be built in Hambantota in the south of the island, an official of the island’s investment promotion agency said. Board of Investment (BOI) director Duminda Ariyasinghe said the hotel will be built on private land which the […]
Sri Lanka Senok group to start chopper service
Jan 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Senok group of companies has been given the nod to start a domestic helicopter service, a top official said as the country recovers from the end of a long drawn out war and tourism is taking off. Director general of Sri Lanka’s civil aviation authority H M C […]
Sri Lanka readies for island tourist resorts
Jan 04, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka expects to announce the investors who have been chosen to develop 10 islands in Kalpitiya, off the north-west coast for tourist resort development in the next two weeks, the chairman of the tourism office said. The government embarked on developing resorts in the north-west region after the end […]
Sri Lanka to test new visa scheme for three months
Jan 03, 2011 (LBO) – A new online visa scheme Sri Lanka plans to introduce, replacing existing on-arrival visas, will be tested for three months before the government decides to implement it, an official said. Sri Lanka received more than 600,000 tourists in 2010 and aims to attract 700,000 this year. Nalaka Godahewa, chairman of […]
Sri Lanka says met IMF December targets for loan disbursement
Dec 30, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has met key targets in December under a deal with the International Monetary Fund to qualify for further loan disbursements, central bank deputy governor Dharma Dheerasinghe said. “Sri Lanka has met the IMF targets for December after meeting the September targets,” Dheerasinghe told Vimasuma.com, our sister news website. […]
Sri Lanka to get 7-star Shangri-La hotel
Dec 28, 2010 (LBO) – Hong Kong-based leisure group Shangri-La has signed a deal to acquire land to build a seven-star hotel in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, the chairman of the tourism authority Nalaka Godahewa said. Shangri-La signed the agreement Tuesday to acquire 10 acres of government property near the Galle Face green promenade, […]
Sri Lanka creates management entity for state firms ahead of listing
Dec 24, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has set up a management company to manage several defunct state enterprises prior to a listing of a partial stake on the Colombo stock exchange, a senior finance ministry official said. Recent IPOs have been heavily over-subscribed owing to pent-up demand for shares with company earnings increasing and […]
Sri Lanka to get first onion shipment next Monday
Dec 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to get its first ship load of imported ‘big’ onions next week as traders claimed they had run out of stocks Thursday after an export ban imposed by India, the main supplier. Sri Lanka usually imports 4,000-5,000 tonnes of big onions a week from India. The Pettah […]