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| Friday, 11 February 2005 |
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Arugambay hotels keen to implement the 100m rule From Shirajiv Sirimane in Ampara The Arugambay tourism sector is keen to implement the 100-meter buffer zone and the entrepreneurs in the area say that it is the beach that brings tourists to the area. According to Director Arugambay Travels and Tours, A. M. Jaufer this is something that the government strictly wants to implement. He said that tourists should have the access to the beach area and implementation of the 100-meter rule would be very good. He said that the tourism development in the area was unplanned with several illegal constructions as well. "The tsunami has given a good opportunity to re plan the tourism development and we need experts to guide us," he said. He said that the damages to the tourism sector is estimated at over Rs. 1000 million and most of the affected entrepreneurs are small timers who have not taken any insurance cover. Over 40 hotels were damaged and 600 people are unemployed. In addition several vehicles were damaged and now they are in the process of claiming insurance. However Banks are still asking for guarantees and other collateral and this is something that should be addressed immediately. "If the banks can expedite our loans we can resume our businesses soon," he said. He said that part of the Bridge to Arugambay has been washed away and they need this to be repaired very soon. "The Canadian Army was working on this and now the Indian Army has taken over this," he said. The tourist season for Arugambay is from April to November. The golden beaches all kinds of water sports, diving, surfing, underwater photography; many ship-wrecks of the coast are some of the major attractions in the area. ########## Inter Continental Hotels Group launches tsunami relief programme Inter Continental Hotels Group, the world's largest and most global hotel company, will launch a global tsunami relief initiative, 'From the Heart,' to, to drive donations for the survivors of the recent tsunami tragedy in South Asia. 'From the Heart' kicks off on Valentine's Day on 14th February, 2005 and lasts for a week. During this period, participating hotels of Inter Continental Hotels Group will be encouraging their guests to make a donation of US$2 or more per stay to UNICEFs tsunami relief funds. For each US$2 guest donation, participating hotels will match up with an equivalent contribution. 'From the Heart' has the potential to raise more than US$1 million to tsunami relief donations. This initiative supports Inter Continental Hotels Group's ongoing community efforts towards UNICEF, which is the official global charity organization for the Group. To date, InterContinental Hotels Group has raised more than US$420,000 through donations from employees, hotel owners, business partners and guests, including the Group's own donation of US$125,000. In less than a month, Priority Club Rewards members around the world have contributed over 17 million reward points which will be converted to cash for donation. The Group has also raised funds through voluntary payroll deduction within its global network of staff to assist hotel employees and their families who were affected by the tragedy. The funds will go towards helping employees rebuild their homes and pay for medical expenses as well as other essentials. Many of the Group's hotels have also made individual efforts to support local fund raising activities towards the cause. ########### Economic Corporation Committee meeting The Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka Thailand Economic Corporation special Committee meeting would be held from February 21 to 23 in Calcutta. According to the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism George Michael, the main aim of the meeting is to explore means to increase the number of tourist arrivals to the region which were affected by the tsunami. He said that rather than each country individually doing their promotions the BIMSTEC would promote the entire region as one entity. "This would have multiple benefits," he said. Michael said that the region has virtually recovered from the disaster. "However we need more tourist arrivals and this would be addressed in Calcutta," he said. Regional development in tourists is another subject in the agenda. The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arjuna Ranatunge too would participate in this event. ############# Sea Breeze Hotel badly damaged by tsunami Most of the tourist hotels along the coastal belt were also affected by the recent tsunami tidal waves. About eight feet water came into the ground floor of the Sea Breeze Hotel, Mount Lavinia damaging all the furniture and other items on the ground floor including the liquor bar. The hotel employees who ran upstairs of the hotel had seen how the waves strucked the hotel and damaged area including the houses close to the sea. According to a senior employee of the hotel a young couple had been in the ground floor at the time and there was no information about them till now. ########## Love bites at Hilton Colombo To celebrate Valentine's Day at Hilton Colombo the hotel has come up with romantic options. Choice One: Start with a candlelit dinner listening to live romantic music by the poolside at Il Ponte Ristorante. Choice Two: Start with a very romantic gourmet dinner in an intimate ambiance at Spoons. Fabulous 5 course dining experience to give you both a night to remember for a long time. Choice Three: Bring out your armorous side with a scrumptious seafood buffet, topped with fresh oysters. Continue the night heading down to the Blue Elephant nightclub and dance till dawn to the sexy beats...The hotel's gift shop "Fine Things" will cater to all your gift requirements from cuddly soft toys to fresh red roses, mouthwatering chocolates and cakes. All this will be available from February 7 to 14. |
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