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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.

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