
Sri Lanka has always delighted visitors to its shores as per Legend as well as history records.
For centuries its fragrant spices, priceless gems and pearls, legendary beauty, sublime culture and friendly people captivated princess, poets, traders, empire-builders and admirers.
In Sir Arthur C Clarke’s words “the Island of Sri Lanka is a small universe; it contains as many variations of culture, scenery, and climate as some countries a dozen times its size . . . I find it hard to believe that there is any country which scores so highly in all departments - which has so many advantages and so few disadvantages." Lovely beaches, beautiful landscapes, impressive ruins, a vibrant culture and charming people. – no wonder Sri Lanka is a small miracle.
Sri Lanka is an island with smiling people who are well known for their hospitality. It has something to offer everyone. The highly developed tourism sector presents a wide variety of attractions/choices to the discerning visitor to the country.
Among them Seductive beaches and tempting water sports, magnificent landscapes featuring lazy lagoons, fertile wetlands, ecologically-wondrous types of forest, imposing mountains, bounteous rivers and waterfalls, an abundance of wildlife - much of it endemic - unique ecosystems, inspiring heritage sites from ancient cities to colonial forts, a vibrant culture including fine arts and crafts and grand festivals are outstanding.
Contemporary tourist attractions such as luxurious Ayurveda spas and broad-based shopping opportunities have evolved, and Sri Lanka has become one of the world’s most popular destinations to get married and enjoy a honeymoon.
Culture and Heritage
The most important historical religious attractions with ruins which relates the stories of ancient civilization are Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Mihintale and Kandy. From Ancient Cities in Anuradhapura to Ayurvedic Spars at coasts, includes 07 World Heritage Sites like Sigiriya.
Nature and Environment
Nature lovers can enjoy from misty mountains and hill areas such as Pidurutalagala and N’Eliya to tropical rainforests such as Sinharaja to wildlife sanctuaries such as Yala, Wilpattu, Wasgamuwa, Udawalawa and Kumana to lush waterfalls such as Diyaluma, Bambarakanda, Ramboda, Aberdeen, Devon, St. Clair, Dunhinda and Rawana Ella, to the Aquatic Life in Passikudah. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is also one of the tourist attractions in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is an island which surrounded by unspoilt beaches on the southern, western, eastern and northern tropical shores stretched within 1600 km.
Horton Place, Knuckles forest reservation, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Hakgala Gardens, Tangamalai, Udawaththekelle, Kelaniweli forest reserve are rich bio diversity sites with picturesque landscapes.
Adventure Tourism
White Water Rafting in Kithulgala, Whale Watching at Mirrissa & Wind Surfing at Arugam Bay to Wild Safaris at Yala.
Sri Lanka being an adventure lover’s dream, she offers a wide choice of outdoor activities such as mountain climbing, biking, trekking/camping, hiking, cycling, cave trek, white water rafting, sailing, skiing, deep sea fishing, canoeing/kayaking, diving, bird watching, wild life viewing (bird, wildflower & botanical treks, butterfly watching)
Sports Tourism
Sri Lanka has made its mark in the international arena for cricket. In addition to cricket; facilities are available for Tennis, Golf: Water Sports, Motor Racing and many other sports.
Health Tourism
Sri Lanka Ayurveda comes from a 3000-year old tradition of health and healing. Meditation, medicated massage, herbal saunas, lotus spa, steam baths, herbal therapy & diet, are available at Tourist Hotels.
Festivals
Being a multi-religious country, the festivals of the four main religions are celebrated in Sri Lanka. The Sri Pada pilgrimage, Thai Pongol, Duruthu Perahera (Kelani Raja Maha Vihara perahera), Navam perahera (Gangaramaya temple) Sinhala Tamil New year, Wesak, Poson, Kandy Esala perahera (Asia's grandest traditional pageant parade for 10 nights to honour the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha), Bellanwila (Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara), Kataragama Festival, Vel, Munneswaram Udappuwa and Nallur Festival, Devinuwara (Dondra) Festival, Deepavali, Ramazan, Christmas, Madhu and Thalawila Festivals.
Shopping, fun & entertainment
Sri Lanka is attracted as a shopping destination. Designer clothes manufactured in Sri Lanka are available at reasonable prices in and around Colombo. Plenty of souvenir shops selling wood carvings, ceramic, handlooms, colourful batiks, gem stones - blue sapphires, rubies, alexandrite, amethyst, garnets are also available island wide. With the rapid westernization of the city many kind of entertainments, can be seen.
“Nagenahira Navodaya” and “Uthuru Wasanthaya”
With the defeat of the LTTE, the Government has launched “Nagenahira Navodaya” (Eastern Revival) and “Uthuru Wasanthaya” (Flourishing North) paving the way for tourists to experience visiting cites of tourist attractions without any restrictions.
Press Release 3
10th
May 2019
Message
from Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
(SLTPB)
So
strong and resilient Sri Lanka.
As Sri Lanka
returns to normalcy after the tragic events
of Easter Sunday that interrupted a decade
of peace and prosperity in the island, Sri
Lanka Tourism is illustrating what Sri
Lankans are best at - moving forward. With
authorities' strategic operations carried
out to contain the situation and the arrest
of those responsible Sri Lanka is rapidly
returning to normalcy and the industry is
readying itself for what was to have been a
record mid-season in what Would have been a
record year of growth for the tourism
industry.
"Tourism is a
strategically critical sector in Sri Lanka's
ever-expanding economy. It's now the third
highest revenue generator for the country
and it is estimated that 500,000 individuals
depend on it. From the fishermen, to the
farmer to the tuk tuk driver to the king
coconut seller on the roadside, they all
benefit from the tourism industry. On the
flip side, thousands of people are directly
employed in the hospitality sector.
Therefore, many Sri Lankans from various
walks of life are stakeholders of the
tourism industry. We have seen darker days
but have always bounced back, better and
stronger. Our resilience as a nation is
unrivalled. This is our strength and we will
show the world that Sri Lanka will once
again be the top destination to visit,"
explains a confident Minister of Tourism,
Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs,
Hon. John Amaratunga.
Security first.
Ensuring
security and safety for everyone in Sri
Lanka has been the single focus of the
government of Sri Lanka. In the immediate
wake of the attack the full force of Sri
Lanka's highly experienced Tri forces were
deployed across the island and it is
confirmed that all the suspects of this
small but deadly cell have been identified
and apprehended proving again that the
advanced capabilities of our military power
must never be underestimated. This was an
important message and Sri Lanka Tourism was
committed to ensuring that the entire
Tourism community both at home and across
the world was able to hear it. To this end a
joint industry press conference was
organized on the 6th of May and a
full security update was provided by a
military spokesperson along with updates by
Kishu Gomes Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism and
the Presidents of the key industry bodies
THASL and SLAITO.
Sri Lanka
Tourism chairman led the panel and briefed
the different stakeholders on the following;
- Sri Lanka Tourism's Emergency response
protocol deployment
- Information access & dissemination
- New safety and security procedures that
focus on training people, defining
procedure and installing advanced
security equipment
- Crisis management process &
procurement of services
- Destination recovery acceleration
through focused and strategic marketing
- Aggressive promotion strategies
- Discussions on concessions and relief
packages for the industry
As all Sri
Lankans are reassured by the expert skills
of our military forces in keeping the island
safe from any future threat, so will Sri
Lanka Tourism re-inspire confidence in what
is Lonely Planet's destination of the year
2019. 'This is a journey governed by focus,
clarity, maturity, experience and expertise'
asserts Gomes
Ensuring convenience and comfort
amidst new security procedures
The Airport has
been a primary focus in the government's
efforts to ensure complete control of the
security of the island and we are grateful
to Sri Lankans and visitors alike for
understanding that these, unprecedented
incidents have resulted in some
inconveniences at the Airport especially
with respect to pick up and drop off. Sri
Lanka Tourism is working with the Air Force
and Airport authorities to minimize the
inconvenience caused by these improved
security procedures. In order to provide a
more user-friendly and efficient experience
during arrivals, the coach park at the
Bandaranayke International Airport (BIA) is
now open to permit holders, with 24hr prior
confirmation to airport authorities. The
terminal car park is now opened to park and
pick passengers, with only the limitation of
restrictions to the arrival lobby. A Shuttle
service is still in operation to ensure
convenient travel to the remote car park and
a new road has been especially constructed
to pick passengers at the arrival terminal.
These improvements will reflect well given
that Airport arrivals data indicates that we
are welcoming an average of 1500-1800 daily
arrivals since April 21st .
Onward
and upward.
Echoing again
the promise it made nearly three weeks ago,
Sri Lanka Tourism will not be beaten, and we
will not let down the millions of Sri
Lankans that depend on the industry for
their daily living. This message was
delivered loud and clear at ATM 2 weeks ago
and reaffirmed at 5th UNWTO
World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in
San Sabastian soon after.
We welcomed the
President of the UFTAA's (United Federation
of Travel Agents Association) and his
arrival has inspired renewed confidence in
the destination. This visit comes in
relation to the organization's planned
mid-year meeting set to take place in Sri
Lanka this year, where representatives from
over 25 countries will attend.
In 2019, 34 road
shows have been planned out of which 4
already completed. Sri Lanka Tourism will as
custodians of the industry move forward with
the other 30 as planned.
In addition to
the road shows, Sri Lanka Tourism will lead
the destination marketing efforts in 62
travel fairs around the world. It has
already successfully positioned Sri Lanka as
the world's premier holiday destination in
38 fairs to date and will continue to do so
with renewed vigor at the balance 24 fairs
scheduled in the months ahead.
While
international exposure for Sri Lanka is
vital it is just one strategic pillar in the
destination marketing strategy. Sponsorships
and pre-planned event schedules will also
move forward; as such the World Surfing
League will still be held in June this year,
bringing in a myriad of professional surfers
from, all around the world. The Amateaur
Golf World Cup, set for the latter half of
2019, set to bring in participants mainly
from Europe and Asia, expects to impact over
1 million golf-lovers around the world and
establish Sri Lanka as a golfing
destination. West Asia Baseball cup 2019 is
another sporting activity year-marked for
July 2019. Over 600 foreign participants and
their families are expected predominantly
from South Asia. Moreover, given Sri Lanka's
importance as a cultural destination, the
Kandy Esala Perehera planned for August is
expected to bring in travelers who seek out
the historic and cultural aspects of the
island's travel experience. The
71st AIESCC International
congress is also to be held in Colombo from
5th - 13th July where
a large number of members are expected to
arrive in Sri Lanka.
We have
developed a number of ways in which to help
the global tourism community, industry
stakeholders and global travelers alike
understand that the vast majority of the
island was unaffected by the attacks of
Easter Sunday and that while everyone is
deeply shocked by the senseless tragedy and
reassured by the heightened security
presence, life on the island is as it always
has been; warm, generous and deeply rooted
in compassion. One such initiative was a
special program aimed at foreign travel
journalists; five journalists from reputable
media houses in Ukraine, Malaysia and Italy
visited Kandy, Colombo and the Southern Part
of Sri Lanka. Similarly, Sri Lanka Tourism
has moved rapidly to ensure that Sri Lanka's
ground situation is readily accessible to
those planning their itinerary, as current
portals may not always carry specific
information that tourists may be looking
for, given the surplus of incident- specific
news in the last few days. In this regard,
apart from the planned portal, Sri Lanka
Tourism is currently hosting a number of
international travel bloggers in the island
with reach in over 15 countries around the
globe & a combined following of over 1.5
million. The bloggers who plan to do a
one-week stay in Sri Lanka, are currently
traveling through the island's most popular
destinations to give their audiences a
real-time look at what traveling through the
greater part of Sri Lanka looks like right
now. ' There's so much of Sri Lanka to see,
experience, and enjoy. It's unfortunate if
that gets overshadowed by these isolated
events says blogger Jerre Stead from USA.
This being a sentiment that is voiced by a
number of tourists still flying into the
island. The bloggers toured Jaffna,
Dambulla, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya before
arriving in Negombo and itinerary specially
designed by Sri Lanka Tourism aimed to
better educate and promote lesser known
attractions throughout the island. The
social media platforms Facebook, Twitter,
Youtube, Pinterest and Instagrarn have been
used by both groups extensively and in an
extremely positive light to share what they
experienced during their time in Sri Lanka.
In addition to
bloggers coming into the island, Sri Lanka
is set to participate at the international
blogger conference in Italy in early June.
The platform will provide maximum exposure
to illustrate the island's experience and
plans, as well as garner support to
strengthen the island's travel campaign for
the coming months. It is expected that over
400 bloggers predominantly from the UK and
other European countries would attend.
Global
expertise and strategic recovery plans
Sri Lanka
Tourism is focused on laying the right
ground work for rapid recovery and is
working with a team of senior international
experts in destination reputation management
& crisis recovery; this team has
successfully worked to mitigate risk for
Egypt Tourism, Lufthansa Germanwings among
other famous brands. The phased out
strategic plan includes 1) Channel
management & rapid rebuttal 2) Scenario
mapping & planning 3) Customized
recovery strategies for key source markets
based on global consumer research.
'We have already
taken all possible steps to demonstrate that
Sri Lanka's response to the incident is
effective and credible. We are now
aggressively planning to reassure the world
of our levels of preparedness and setting
the groundwork for future reputational
recovery work by reassuring tourists that
all appropriate steps are being taken by the
Sri Lankan Government to prevent any future
incidents and ensure the continued safety of
tourists within the country. As we do this
we are developing a holistic reputation
recovery plan based on data and research for
each of the key markets, this will be
followed by an intensive global marketing
campaign to further accelerate the recovery
process' said Kishu Gomes Chairman Sri Lanka
Tourism.
Media Unit
Sri Lanka
Tourism Promotion Bureau. (SLTPB) No:
80, Galle Road, Colombo 03. Sri Lanka.
Tel: 0112426900
(Ext.: 243)
Web:
http://www.srilanka.travel/
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