Category: Tourism
Aitken Spence Resorts to buy Al Falaj Hotel for USD36.4 mln
Jan 27, 2016 (LBO) – Oman Hotels and Tourism Co said on Monday its shareholders have unanimously approved the RO14mn (USD 36.3 million) sale of Al Falaj Hotel to Aitken Spence Resorts (Middle East). An extraordinary general meeting (EGM), held on Sunday, decided to sell the ‘assets and business’ of the hotel, Oman Hotels and […]
Sri Lanka tourism poised for strong growth: JLL
Jan 14, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is on the brink of a strong reform agenda and transformational change that could pave the way for inclusive and balanced growth, JLL said in a research report focusing on the tourism sector. For the hospitality industry, this means aiming for 2.2 million tourists, up from 1.8 million […]
George Soros looking at investment opportunities in Sri Lanka
Jan 07, 2016 (LBO) – Global investor George Soros said that his team is in the Island and are looking at investment opportunities. “In addition to my people connected to the Open Society Foundation, my investment person is also in Sri Lanka to look for opportunities,” George Soros, a global investor and Founder Chairman of […]
Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka up 17.8-pct in 2015
Jan 04, 2015 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka were up 17.8 percent with 1.8 million visitors recorded in 2015, the tourism office said. December arrivals grew 15.4 percent to 206,114 from a year ago with total annual arrivals at 1,798,380, provisional data from the tourism office showed. Indian arrivals grew 30.3 percent to […]
Tourists to Maldives edge up despite recent emergency
Dec 28, 2015 (LBO) – Maldives reported higher tourist arrivals in November despite a recent state of emergency, a media report said. The number of tourists who visited the Maldives last month increased by 0.5 percent to 90,218 from 89,778 in November 2014, statistics published by the tourism ministry showed. A total of 1,114,993 tourists […]
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up 20.4 pct in November 2015
Dec 04, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 20.4 percent to 144,147 in the month of November 2015 from a year earlier, driven by China, India, United Kingdom and Germany, data from the state tourism promotion office showed. In the eleven months of 2015 arrivals were up 18.1 percent to 1,592,266. South Asian […]
Sri Lanka eyes international events to attract tourists: Tourism Chairman
Dec 03, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Tourism is currently looking at international level entertainment and sports events to attract more tourists to the island nation, Tourism Development Authority said.The 2016 budget granted a 50 percent tax holiday for 5 years for companies incorporated specifically to engage in conferencing and exhibition type of activities.“We are […]
Sri Lanka aims for high end tourists under Megapolis plan
Dec 02, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will streamline its tourist industry and move towards attracting high end visitors through the Megapolis and Western Province development programme, Minister Champika Ranawaka said.“While developing IT led innovation towns from Homagama to Malambe under the Megapolis project we have also chosen Aluthgama to be converted into a high-end […]
Ceylon Hotels Corp to construct a 50-room hotel in Maldives for USD27.7mn
Nov 16, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Hotel Corporation said that it plans to construct a 50-room hotel in Maldives with an investment of 27.7 million US dollars. The company said that it has approved an acquisition of the entire shareholding of Ceylon Hotel Maldives (Pvt )Ltd (CHML) for a sum of 700,020 rupees […]
‘s arrivals up 8.8-pct in Oct
Nov 04, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 8.8 percent to 132,280 in October 2015 from an year earlier with continued growth in the Indian and Chinese markets.Arrivals in the first 10 months of the year were up 17.9 percent to 1.448 million, data from the state tourism authority showed.Indian tourists were up […]
Technology changing the face of travel bookings, Sri Lanka should be more concerned
Oct 7, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka tourism sector needs to look into travel booking platforms using internet and mobile technology to attract more visitors to the island, an analysts told a forum held in Colombo. “One of the consumer surveys that we did shows that foremost of any travel booking is use of internet,” […]
Tourist arrivals up 36-pct driven by arrivals from India and China
Oct 04, 2015 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose to 143,374 visitors, up 35.9 percent in September 2015 from a year ago, a statement said.Arrivals for the nine months to September were up 17.1 percent to 1,315,839 from a year ago, the latest tourism data shows. In September India arrivals rose 41.5 percent to 27,233 while Chinese […]