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
Director SLECS, Imran Hussan (second from left) at the press
conference to announce the Food and Hotel India event, recently.
|
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. |