Category: Tourism

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. […]

Dec 10, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has earned 996.2 million US dollars from tourism services in the ten months to October 2013, up 26 percent from a year earlier, data released by the Central Bank showed. The average stay has moved up 10.5 nights from 10 a year earlier, he said. Tourism arrivals rose […]

Nov 21, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has become one of the top 10 most popular destinations in after being included in Emirates group’s travel arm, officials said as outbound packages were also launched to customers in the island. The firm was developing more Sri Lanka tours targeted at specific markets. Emirates Holidays set up […]

Nov 19, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 27.9 percent to 102,805 in October 2013 from a year earlier, helped by surging arrivals from China, Maldives, India and Russia, official data showed. Middle Eastern arrivals were up 45.7 percent to 7,624, with visitors up to October up 12 percent to 49,250. East Asian […]

Nov 16, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals have topped 904,000 and is reaching towards a million tourists by the end of November 2013, an official said. The average spend per day was 109 US dollars compared to 65 in 2009, Jayaweera said. Sri Lanka’s arrivals have been boosted by reasonably priced accommodation and […]