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Up in a balloon

by Tharika Goonathilake

From beaches to balloons, Sri Lanka tourism reaches sky high this month with the country's first ever hot air balloon festival being planned to take off on March 20 from Anuradhapura.

The festival, which will go on till April 2 will draw over 14 international teams including one led by world famous Dr. Brian Jones, who flew around the world on an adventurous ballooning feat.

The four-member balloon teams will cover Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Udawalawe, Hambantota and arrive in Colombo for a grand finale charity show on March 31 at the Sri Jayawardhanapura grounds.

The Balloon Festival aimed at taking Sri Lanka's attractions and the tourism product to new heights has been spearheaded by Captain Anil Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka's pioneering hot air balloonist in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism.

"From an enthusiastic first attempt to organise a whole festival to boost Sri Lanka's tourism in the adventure tourism segment has been an exhilarating experience.

We are optimistic that the event will help generate an interest about the country and its many attractions," Captain Jayasinghe told a press conference at the Trans Asia Hotel yesterday.

The event would be an annual one, with this year festival being a stepping stone to a major Asian balloon event, that could help Sri Lanka's tourism soar to new heights, he said.

Captain Jayasinghe said that similar festivals held in the UK, Japan and USA were mega local and tourist draws offering 'sights like no other'.

However, he called on aviation authorities to clear certain aviation technicalities based on unfounded 'security concerns' which have delayed efforts to popularise ballooning on a larger tourism aspect. Tourism Ministry Secretary Dr. P. Ramanujan said that Sri Lanka's Tourism industry is moving into new niche areas with adventure sports and ecotourism giving the country's tourism new product diversity.

"It's a new dimension for tourism in Sri Lanka and will help generate an interest about the country," he said.

SriLankan Airlines Head of Corporate Communications Chandana De Silva said that the national carrier would extend its fullest support to project the country as the "happening place'' and sponsor the international teams scheduled to arrive here.

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