Category: Tourism

Oct 22, 2008 (LBO) – Foreign visitors to Sri Lanka fell 20 percent in September with generating markets in Western Europe and India recording steep falls, the latest data from the island’s tourist promotion office said. In the 10 months to September arrivals were down 9.5 percent to 317,500 from 350,779. In period Western European […]

MINNERIYA, Sri Lanka, (AFP) – As evening falls, a female elephant and her pink-skinned baby emerge from the jungle for a leafy snack around an ancient artificial lake in Sri Lanka.They are just two of hundreds of wild elephants that gather each evening along the banks of the Minneriya reservoir for food, water, shelter — […]

Sept 24, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion agency has launched a campaign to encourage local travel as part of efforts to revive the industry, hit hard by escalating conflict that has reduced foreign arrivals. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 “We see untapped […]

Sept 23, 2008 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals in to Sri Lanka in August fell sharply from a year ago but bookings for the winter season look promising for hoteliers, tourism chief Renton de Alwis said. Sri Lankan hoteliers have said the industry has been affected by bad publicity in tourism generating markets caused by fighting […]

SIGIRIYA, September 19, 2008 (AFP) – With wetlands and jungles teeming with colourful butterflies and exotic primates, Sri Lanka is planning to lure a new type of tourist who prefers wildlife to beach life.The critically endangered purple-faced leaf monkey can occasionally be spotted in Colombo’s suburbs, while the brown saucer-eyed loris lives in the island’s […]

Sept 15, 2008 (LBO) – India’s Taj Group says it has appointed a new manager to the 120-room Taj Airport Garden Hotel in Seeduwa, north of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, which is one of three hotels run by the group in the island. Mathew C Thomas has taken over as general manager from Sanjay […]

Sept 09, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to offer a new tourism zone for development in Kalpitiya in the country’s north western coast, which has 14 islands in which to build eco-friendly resorts, officials said. Tourism secretary George Michael says the area with 14 islands contains 4,000 acres for development. Galhena said requests for […]

Sept 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas group says its tour operating unit will be more active in the Maldives after a tie-up with Zurich based Diethelm Travel Group (DTH). Hemtours says it has been in business for more than 30 years. DTH is a subsidiary of Diethelm Keller Holdings, headquartered in Zurich, a […]

Aug 14, 2008 (LBO) – A beach festival in Sri Lanka’s Hikkaduwa coastal tourist town has filled up hotels to full capacity and set the stage for an annual event that will attract young people from the region, the island’s tourism authorities said. Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau Dileep Mudadeniya says more […]

July 16, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is scrambling to head off an imminent travel warning from Japan, in a bid to save the struggling tourism industry from a new blow, a top official said.Tourism secretary George Michael said Sri Lanka has learned of an imminent travel warning from Japan and tourism minister Milinda Moragoda […]

July 11, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka attracted fewer holidaymakers in June, the island’s main tourism promotion authority said Friday, blaming the drop in the number of visitors on the country’s ongoing ethnic conflict. Arrivals in June fell 9.3 percent to 27,960 from 30,810 reported a year earlier and totalled 224,363 in the first half […]

June 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence conglomerate has won an award for the best water villas in the Maldivian atolls, the company said. Aitken Spence’s Adaaran ˜Prestige’ Water Villas in the Maldives won the ˜Maldives Leading Water Villas’ award at the World Travel Awards Asia and Indian Ocean Ceremony held in Shanghai. […]