Category: Tourism

Eden Resorts will pitch itself up-market this summer, opening its doors to niche travellers from mainly Europe, Japan and South Asia.Eden Resorts will pitch itself up-market this summer, opening its doors to niche travellers from mainly Europe, Japan and South Asia. The company put in Rs. 150 mn to revamp the 158 room luxury hotel […]

John Keells Hotels will take its first steps into India, scouting for prospects in joint hotel and resort management in the neighbouring country.rnrn“We have been flirting with India and have been looking at it for the hotel sector for the past couple of years, even previously looking at beach properties in Goa,” Managing Director John […]

RCI, a vacation ownership exchange is setting up shop here to promote the island as a holiday destination to its membership.The exchange allows members to trade their pre-booked holiday retreats or time-share holidays in an RCI affiliated resort for a week or more in other affiliated facilities around the world. rn rnRCI says it has […]

International tourist traffic could dip to 900 mn tourists from earlier targets of 1 bn in 2010, as global events radically alter the dynamics of future travel.rnrn Travel dictated by global terrorism, disease and weak economies have cut back on long haul travel with as much as 80 percent visiting lquote close-to-home.rn rn”About 80 percent […]

Spin wizard Murali is spinning more than the ball for Sri Lanka, turning more Austrailian tourists here to watch him turn it on local wickets, says the Tourist Board.Visitors to the island from down under went up to 1089 in May up from 720 the year before.Up to May 6,843 Australians have visited, up 23.5 […]

Hunas Falls is dressing up its hill country hotel, to get a booking in the Small Luxury Hotels of the world catalogue. The Jetwing managed hotel is spending some Rs.25 mn of the Hunas Falls internal funds to upgrade and expand 20 of its 31 rooms to mini-suites.rn rnAlong with the standard features added with […]

SriLankan Airlines Catering will tap the market for US$ 22.5 million to fund its new in-flight catering kitchen in Katunayake.A Commercial Bank led consortium is to finalise the borrowing plan, repayable over seven years, SriLankan Catering CEO Dilip Nijhawan told Lanka Business OnlineThe automated kitchen will cost a total of about US$ 25 million and […]

Light House Hotel is hoping to double its earnings for the current financial, though somewhat restrained by limitations in room capacity, a broker report says.Earnings by Light House grew steadily during the last couple of years and the nine months results of the financial year 2004 have already hit the full year 2003 levels.rn rnldblquote […]

The Connaissance Group is to make the best of the hot weather, enticing outbound Indian travellers with a summer promotion at its hotels.The Group is targeting a 5 mn strong Indian outbound market to fill up hotels in an ordinarily slow season, where occupancies hover around 45-50 percent.rn rnrnrnldblquote Outbound travel from India in the […]

The idea of a lquote tea resort is growing within Watawala Plantations, to entice high-spending tourists to have a hands-on experience in tea making.Upto 15% of unproductive estate land has been earmarked for the tea resort and will sell rooms to an average US$ 200 per-night. rn rnWatawala Plantations CEO, Vish Govindasami said the firm […]

Tough competition from bus services plying the North and East routes and the expected slowdown in the number of Sri Lankan expatriates returning to catch a glimpse of their once time home could force local operators to absorb the increased cost of jet fuel and keep ticket prices at the current levels. A senor official […]

Sri Lankans applying to enter the US will be electronically fingerprinted with effect Wednesday, as the US toughens security laws at its embassies and consulates in 120 countries. Together with the standard digital photograph, the fingerprinting process will be the second biometric indicator on all visas to the United States.rn rnldblquote It is designed to […]