WOMAD Sri Lanka showcases top international drummers

SRI LANKA'S first international Festival of drums is set to put the country firmly on the international music map as it brings together some of the biggest names in global entertainment. WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums will be held from September 21 - 25.

Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Chairman, Udaya Nanayakkara, said the artistes scheduled to perform at the SLTB event are a unique combination of talent from around the world.

"To have such musical diversity, a melting pot of talent come together in one location, will truly be an unrivalled experience," said Nanayakkara. "I urge music lovers everywhere to experience the first ever WOMAD Sri Lanka for themselves," he added.

The line-up includes world's number one drummer Bill Cobham (USA), the Drummers of Burundi, from Central Africa, legendary Indian drummer and composer Trilok Gurtu and Joji Hirota and the Taiko Drummers, from Japan and the UK.

US-based drummer Bill Cobham, also an accomplished record composer and producer, has performed on hundreds of records and collaborated with some of the world's most prolific drummers. He first recorded with the legendary Miles Davis in 1969 and later performed with him in Japan (1983)

The Drummers of Burundi are from the small African country situated between Zaire and Tanzania.

Joji Hirota and his troupe of Taiko Drummers (Japan/UK) will showcase, in dramatic style, the 'taiko', a large barrel drum dating back to centuries in Japanese culture.

Legendary Indian drummer and composer Trilok Gurtu, whose music has influenced musicians worldwide, will also feature at this year's Festival of Drums.

Other artistes include Cuban band Asere, who provide a fresh, contemporary sound to more traditional Cuban beats and the unique Chemirani Zarb Trio (Iran) who have mastered the art of playing the 'zarb', the classical drum of Persia.

Adding local talent to the line-up is classical Kandyan dancer and master choreographer Ravibandhu Vidyapathy, who will bring his distinct drumming and dance traditions to the festival.

WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums will feature four indoor theatre concerts at Bishop's College Auditorium, beginning with three performances at 7.30pm (September 21-23). The final concert will start at 3.30pm on September 24.

Demand for web booking in travel sector

WEB based booking is gaining popularity and heavy investments are being made into this sector. Managing Director, Keen Media Thailand, David Keen said.

Speaking at the Amaya Resort and Spa launch at Water's Edge on Wednesday he said that a London hotellier had invested one million British pounds to launch a web site for his hotels.

"Connaissance Resorts too re-launched their brand as Amaya Resorts and Spas and this new concept is an initiative to further showcase the company's Sri Lankan roots while at the same time identifying its offerings as boutique level products.

This new brand will be used by all of the company's resorts and spas, with improvements in facade, products offered and service standards showing the Amaya's enhanced commitment to its customers.

Sri Lanka is a phenomenal destination that possesses such allure, such a fascinating heritage , warm and vibrant culture. We developed a brand experience that conveys this beauty and intrigue.

Visitors seek a holiday that will surround them with the uniqueness of the destination. Amaya is the heart of Sri Lankan experience," he said.

Director of Connaissance's Hotel division, Lalin Samarawickrama, described what the brand offers to its guests: 'Each Amaya resort brings the same level of quality and reflection of Sri Lanka, with a concept unique to each individual destination.'

'These three hotels managed by Connaissance have enjoyed immense success, and their rebranding as Amaya represents a new stage in their evolution. Amaya will offer our guests, both international and domestic, an experience that embodies the rich cultural heritage of our destination.'

To develop the new brand, Connaissance enlisted the expertise of Bangkok-based creative agency and branding specialities, Keen Media.

Keen worked with Connaissance to create Amaya's graphic identity, name, logo, website, ad campaign and a variety of promotional materials.

Amaya will market itself to both domestic travellers and foreign visitors.

Those coming from abroad will be able to encounter the best of traditional Sri Lanka, while domestic travellers from locations such as Colombo will enjoy the opportunity to escape to nature and get in touch with their cultural heritage.

WTO, UNDP launch joint publication

THE World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) combined their efforts to condense all aspects of the sustainability of tourism into a single publication: Making Tourism More Sustainable: a Guide for Policy Makers. It was launched simultaneously by the two organizations in Madrid and Paris on 6 September.

The purpose of the new WTO-UNEP publication is to provide tourism decision makers with guidance and a framework for the development of policies for more sustainable tourism, a toolbox of instruments that they can use to implement these policies, and some selected case studies.

"The two organizations wish to encourage all countries to ensure that their policies and actions for the development and management of tourism fully embrace the principles of sustainability," Head of WTO Sustainable Tourism Development Eugenio Yunis, said.

According to how it will be planned, developed and managed, the massive growth predicted for tourism in the forthcoming years could provide excellent opportunities for spreading prosperity but could also represent considerable challenges and potential threats to the environment and local communities.

There is also an increasing appreciation of the role of tourism in addressing world poverty, through bringing a source of income to the heart of some of the poorest communities.

This new Guide is a basic reference book and provides a blueprint for governments to formulate and implement sustainable tourism policies. It builds on UNEP and WTO's previous work on different aspects of sustainability.

The conclusions drawn and the policies and tools recommended in this Guide are therefore based on real cases, collected from around the world, that have proven to be effective and successful in achieving the aims of sustainable development.

Lanka to participate in Indian hotel show

BY HIRAN H. Senewiratne

THE Indian Exhibition and Conference Services Ltd a subsidiary of South Asian Exhibition Services Ltd (SAESL) will organise a South Indian hospitality industry exhibition in Kerala in India from 15th to 17th of November this year.

The exhibition, "Food and Hotel India" will be the first culinary exhibition in Kerala, and expected to be participated by 40 top hotel and related companies from Sri Lanka, Director of the Lankan Exhibition and Conference Services LTD (SLECS) Imran Hassan said.

He said that there are 200 stalls at the event of which 100 stalls have been allocated to India, nearly 50 for Sri Lanka and the balance for Asian and Middle-Eastern countries.

Imran said that in recent times India has witnessed a boom in the tourism industry with increased arrivals. This resulted in many Sri Lankan companies including Aitken Spence to focus on investing in major hotel projects in India.

The Aitken Spence hotel is expected to be completed by 2007. He also said that this exhibition would be a tremendous opportunity for Sri Lankan investors who are involved in the tourist sector.

Many reputed companies from all over the world will introduce their products and services at this event.

Training programs on culinary challenges for chefs from resorts, hotels and restaurants too will be held.

Technological workshops would also be organised with the participation of overseas guest speakers.

Triton reopens in January

TRITON Hotel of Ahungalla, designed by the world renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa, and managed by Aitken Spence Hotels, is being refurbished at present.

It is proposed to re-open the hotel on 15 January with a new look, a new identity and a new name as, THE TRITON, will cater to a new discerning clientele and the high spending tourist. It would be equipped with a Spa, and would be classfied as a five star hotel.

In preparation for the new look, Aitken Spence Hotels, in collaboration with their Group Human Resource Department, are training all 300 staff for the new image of the hotel. The training commenced at Neptune Hotel which is also an Aitken Spence hotel. Triton Hotel is managed by the General Manager Niran Ratwatte.