Travel
Srilal wins 'Green Jobs' environment award
Director/Chief Executive Officer of Serendib Leisure Management Ltd
Srilal Miththapala, was awarded the 'Green Jobs' Environment Award in
the category of Climate Change, at a ceremony organized by the Ministry
of Environment and Natural Resources on June 5 to mark World Environment
Day.
Srilal Miththapala with his award. |
The award was presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation
and Mahaweli Development, Maithripala Sirisena and the Minister of
Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The award was in recognition of the work he has done in the field of
environment protection and carbon emmision mitigation in the hotel
sector.
Under Miththapala's guidance Hotel Sigiriya was developed into a
benchmarked and environment conscious hotel in Sri Lanka over the past
few years. The hotel has implemented many energy conservation and
environment protection schemes and practices, and was the first hotel in
Sri Lanka to calculate its carbon foot print.
Miththapala said, "I am certainly very proud to receive this award in
recognition of the work that has been done, but I must hasten to point
out that this is a team effort by all my staff, and the consultant who
worked closely on this ongoing project.
They all really supported the initiatives we undertook, from the head
office and Hotel Sigiriya.
So, in reality, this should be seen as an award won by the entire
Serendib Leisure/Sigiriya team".
Srilal Miththapala has always been a strong environmentalist and Wild
Life enthusiast.
He is particularly interested in wild elephants in Sri Lanka and has
done some research work at the Udawalawe National Park under the
sponsorship of US Fish and Wildlife Services.
Srilal has also written a book about elephants in Uda Walawe National
park titled Tranquil Footsteps.
He serves as the CEO of Serendib Leisure, which manages three of Sri
Lanka's popular resort hotels, viz: Hotel Serendib, Hotel Sigiriya and
Club Hotel Dolphin. He is also the current President of the Hotels
Association of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka and India joint tourism program to be launched
For the first time in the history of the Sri Lankan Tourism industry,
Sri Lanka and India have decided to launch a joint extensive tourism
promotion program to promote the Chinese Tourist market attraction more
as well as more tourists to the Indian sub continent.
Minister of Tourism, Milinda Moragoda and current Indian Ambassador
in Beijing Nirupama Rao had a discussion on this proposal.
The Indian Embassy will support to campaign Sri Lanka as a tourist
destination and Sri Lankan Tourism will provide a special campaign based
on Aubowan Sri Lanka for developing the destination awareness.
The Ministry of Tourism and the institution under the Ministry are
planning to organize a jointly co-ordinated event with the Indian
Embassy by the end of this month to develop the Chinese relationship.
After the full control of security concerns in the North and the East
of the country, the actual tourist areas remain safe for tourists and
the positive approach of the travel trade is made obvious by the
continued participation at crucial professional events, a spokesman for
the Ministry of Tourism said.
Sri Lanka Tourism introduced the island destination in keeping with
their familiar and veritable theme 'Small Miracle'. We have various
exciting new ventures, attractions and opening of exclusive resorts and
hideaways happening in the Sri Lanka's tourism sector during the coming
period, the spokesman said.
The Sri Lanka tourism and all the partners are intent in coming back
very strongly and positively, presenting the varied attractions with the
well-known Sri Lankan hospitality and the Sri Lankan smile to the
Chinese travel industry," he mentioned.
The Ministry of Tourism briefed the Indian Ambassador in Beijing on
the measures taken by Sri Lanka to develop the tourism sector, including
through the private-public sector partnerships and China is one of the
largest targeted markets for Sri Lanka's tourist industry, now providing
around in between seven to ten Thousand of visitors arrivals.
According to the Chinese Tourism data there are more than 4.5 million
tourists visiting other countries annually. With this joint campaign Sri
Lanka expects the arrival to increase soon and will benefit Indian sub
continent.
The promotional efforts by Sri Lanka have also included the Sri
Lankan Cultural and folk music event reaching to several leading Chinese
cites and India also has scheduled to organize South Indian Cultural
shows.
Moreover, the Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry has encouraged contacts
between the State level tourism administrations in India and those at
the Provincial level in Sri Lanka.
The two countries jointly addressed the subject of further
strengthening collaboration in the field of tourism between their two
countries. An area of special focus would be the circuit of Buddhist
sites that is a key strand of the many links between the two nations. |