Category: Tourism

Mar 12, 2014 (LBO) – Malaysia is seeking more visitors from Sri Lanka and an expansion of weekly flights, amid a ten-fold hike in visa fees that has made travel to the country more expensive.“But we are looking into public comments, agencies comments and also the service level of facilitator if we are to make […]

Feb 26, 2014 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines said it will fly to Vietnam and expand destinations to Malaysia and Australia through a new code share deal with Malaysian Airlines. Mohamed Fazeel, SriLankan’s head of commercial operations said the new code share will increase traffic between Sri Lanka and Australasia, which had high tourist traffic […]

Feb 21, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will launch a “comprehensive mega tourism promotional campaign” to boost arrivals including from newly developing markets, starting this year, information minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said. However there has been strong growth in the lower end of the sector with internet based bookings giving more affordable accommodation with pricing closer […]

Feb 19, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers had approved investment concessions for three integrated resort projects which appear to limit income tax cuts to gaming, according to public notices published. The concession are then approved by the cabinet and tabled in parliament. The tax concession for gaming ran into controversy, with opposition […]

Feb 13, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Taj Lanka Hotels Plc, a unit of India’s Taj Hotels and Resorts said it lost 118 million rupees in the December 2013 quarter as the hotel went through a refurbishment.Revenues were down 34 percent to 355 million rupees, cost of sales fell 2 percent to 388 million rupees […]

Jan 21, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s hotels are showcasing the industry to students in several parts of the country starting through a series of seminars and hotel visits. The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) in association with Negombo Hoteliers Association and Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (ITHM) will conduct the first seminar […]

Jan 20, 2014 (LBO) – A 96-room hotel built with an investment of 7.8 million US dollars has opened in Sigiriya in central Sri Lanka. The Aliya (elephant in Sinhalese language) Resort & Spa, is constructed on a 22-acre area to blend with villages in the area, Sri Lanka’s economic development ministry said after minister […]

Jan 08, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka said it had received 1.27 million tourists, topping a 1.2 million target for 2013 after changing the method of calculation, as concern grows over the credibility of state data.The latest tourism statistical reports come amid a call by business chambers to probe allegations of manipulating gross domestic product […]

Dec 24, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals grew 2.8 percent from a year earlier 112,213 million in November 2013, the slowest growth registered in any month in over three years. The State ordered hotels to restrict bookings from regular tourists during the Commonwealth meet and room rates were also boosted up. Given sufficient […]

COLOMBO, December 24, 2013 (AFP) – The Australian owner of one of the world’s most exclusive hotels was given temporary permission to return to his adopted Sri Lankan homeland Tuesday after being barred in a spat over the national flag. His portfolio includes the private Taprobane Island, whose guests have included pop stars Sting and […]

Dec 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas Holdings said it has started construction of a 40 million US dollar joint venture hotel with Thailand based Minor Hotel Group.It will operate under Minor group’s Anantara brand which is a 28-hotel chain in 8 countries with 15 more properties under development. The foundation stone for the […]

Dec 17, 2013 (LBO) – Singapore-based Calamander group has invested 1.35 billion rupees (10 million US dollars) to acquire and upgrade a hotel in Sri Lanka. Calamander had bought Unawatuna Beach Resort just off Galle in Southern Sri Lanka for around one billion rupees in 2011 and rebuilt it by investing another 350 million rupees. […]