Category: Tourism

Jan 06, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in 2011 jumped 30.8 percent to a record 855,975 from a year ago with the peak season month of December also at a new high, the tourism office said. The South Asia region accounted for the second biggest increase in arrivals which shot up 35. 3 […]

Jan 03, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s LOLC group has acquired control of a beach resort catering to up-market European tourists at a cost of just over a billion rupees, a stock exchange filing said. “The hotel which is much sought after by an exclusive clientele of European tourists has potential for even further expansion,” […]

Jan 02, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been named among the top destinations for 2012 by Conde Nast Traveller, a popular travel magazine after former war-torn areas were opened to tourists. Sri Lanka’s West Coast resorts are popular during the European Winter season when the Eastern coast is hit by a monsoon season. The […]

Jan 01, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has ended a free visa on arrival scheme from today with an electronic authorization system coming online, but anyone who arrives without an e-visa will be able to buy one for 50 dollars, a media report. Sri Lanka gave free visa on arrival to a number of countries […]

Dec 31, 2011 (LBO) – South Africa’s Sun City gaming and resort group will invest 800 million dollars in the biggest ever leisure development in Katana, north of the capital Colombo the island, a media report said. “Sun City of South Africa is now going to make an 0 million investment in a 200-acre private […]

Dec 30, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka expects to earn 850 million US dollars from tourists in 2011 with annual arrivals expected to reach 830,000 an increase of 26 percent from a year earlier and the industry targeted a billion dollars next year, officials said. But an electronic visa process, which is promised to be […]

Dec 29, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka says investigations are continuing on an attack which left a British tourist killed and his Russian female friend injured with several suspects including a local politician of the ruling party being arrested, officials said. Sri Lanka’s deputy economic development minister Lakshman Abeywardene said the island’s defence secretary has […]

Dec 27, 2011 (LBO) – Delta Corporation, an India based firm, is in talks with Sri Lanka for 75 million dollar tourism development in an islet off the northwestern coast of the island, an official familiar with the matter said. Officials have said that 185 project proposals worth 1.85 billion US dollars have been received […]

Dec 25, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is in talks with Sapphire Bay, a Canadian based leisure firm to develop an islet off the northwestern coast of the island in a 300 million dollar investment golf course and hotel development. Arrivals in the 11 months to November 2011 rose 33.1 percent from a year earlier, […]

Dec 19, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka greeted its 800,000th tourist on December 19, with arrivals up 33. 1 percent from the 654,476 in the 12-months to December 2009, the island’s tourist promotion office said. Sri Lanka is expecting 2.5 million visitors by 2016. The 800,000th tourist arrived from flight from UK, and was welcomed […]

Dec 18, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism development office has approved 1. 8 billion dollars of investment proposals to build hotels deputy economic development minister Lakshman Abeywardene said. A ‘one stop unit’ at the tourism development office which was set up in November 2010 had received 189 applications by October 2011 of which 73 […]

Dec 17, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Colombo night race flagged off Friday in practice runs and trials as fans lined the streets to watch as drivers became familiar with the track and sought places for Saturday.