Travel

Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2009, a major attraction

Charumini DE SILVA

The Hikkaduwa Beach Fest is one of the largest festivals in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

The Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2009 will be held from July 30-August 3 at the Hikkaduwa costal line. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau organized its first event in 2008 to promote tourism in Sri Lanka and it attracted over 15,000 tourists. The Hikkaduwa Beach Fest won all-round approbation.

Secretary, Hikkaduwa Hoteliers' Association, Dayal Fernando said, " The Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2008 was very successful and though people had a fear of attending this type of gatherings due to security reasons there was a huge crowd for the fest from all over the island.

"With the dawn of peace, we expect a larger gathering this year and we have received a tremendous response from them", he said.

"The hotels and resorts in Hikkaduwa are almost fully booked even though there is a few more weeks for the fest. The response of the people is commendable and we hope that it would be better than last year as we expect over 20,000 foreign and local tourists. There will be more entertainers and more excitements at the Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 2009", he said.

"The Hikkaduwa Beach Fest has become one of the major events in the tourist calendar as well as among the public.

"We are greatful to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau for organizing this event annually to promote tourism in Sri Lanka", Fernando said.

There will be 11 DJs to add more colour to the event. Four themed parties will be held at the Narigama stretch from August 1 and 2. A drum festival has been scheduled for July 30 at the Imperial Hotel stretch. Beach carnivals and beach sports will be held at the Coral Sands from July 30-August 2.

SriLankan launches Hotseats - Destination of the Week

SriLankan Airlines' advance booking system HOTSEATS came even better, with the launch of the "HOTSEATS Destination of the Week." General Manager SriLankan Holidays, Amith Sumanapala said, "With HOTSEATS Destination of the Week, you can travel the world with SriLankan Airlines' lowest fares. We will be rolling out a different destination every week.

The first HOTSEATS Destination of the Week is the exciting Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Travellers who purchase HOTSEATS tickets to Kuala Lumpur between July 13 and 19 for travel upto December, will receive the maximum possible discount on the fare no matter when they travel during the six months. But you need to specify the date of travel when booking.

The next HOTSEATS Destination of the Week is London, ever-popular among travellers around the world, including Sri Lankans.

Ulagalla Walawwa Resort a Tourist Hotel

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka granted investment approval to Ulagalla Walawwa Resort (Pvt) Ltd. BOI Board Members Eshana de Silva and Upali Samaraweera signed the agreement and presented the BOI Certificate Registration to Harsha De Saram and Sarath Weerasooria, Directors of Ulagalla Walawwa Resort (Pvt) Ltd., on behalf of the BOI.

The agreement signed with Ulagalla Walawwa Resort (Pvt) Ltd., is a project to establish a tourist hotel with 25 chalets at Thirappane, Anuradhapura. The hotel is targeting high end exclusive tourist and will provide the opportunity to discover the pleasure of exquisite surroundings.

The hotel is located at Thirappane, in the surroundings of the cultural triangle and is in the route to the newly opened coastal area in the east.

The focal building is a 100 year old 'walawwa' and the 25 chalets will be located overlooking the lake. The hotel and the chalets will be constructed in a 52 acre land. The walawwa will house the restaurant and the lobby and will have a main pool.

Adspace & E to launch RH Guide campaign

Charumini DE SILVA

Adspace & E (Pvt) Ltd will launch the 'Resort Hotel Guide' (RH Guide) campaign in November at the World Tourism Meeting (WTM) in London to promote Sri Lanka Tourism globally.

Nearly 5,000 copies will be printed and distributed at the WTM where the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau will participate.

"High quality is a top priority where the RH Guide concerned. The company has invested US$ 50 million on this project.

We are mainly targeting the European market for the year 2010 and in 2011 we will be looking forward to target the Middle East and Asia", Chairman, Adspace & E (Pvt) Ltd., Peter Arendtsz said.

"The publication of the RH Guide will be updated and published annually and it will be published in English and German languages", he said.

"We have covered a very wide range reaching overseas tour operations, travel agencies and the global tourism market in general. Advertisers, especially in the resort section will achieve international exposure for their brands and services at very low cost", he said.

In addition, the same format will be followed in the interactive CD, which contains the same features in the RH Guide magazine. The difference in the interactive CD is that it contains video clips accompanied by write-ups.

"The third factor in our campaign is the RH Guide website. The site will have a choice of eight different languages such as English, German, Italian, French, Russian, Arabic and Japanese", Arendtsz said.

"We are aware of the potential and we wish to make the country the best tourist destination with the dawn of peace. We believe that this is the ideal time for hotels, resorts and other travel related service providers to join to promote tourism in Sri Lanka. Our efforts and idea is to enhance the inspiration of Sri Lanka", he said.

Aitken Spence donates goods for IDPs

Aitken Spence has been continually committed to ensuring the well-being of the communities in the regions it operates in. Responding to the call of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka to assist in providing relief aid, Aitken Spence recently donated a consignment of goods worth approximately one million Rupees for Internally Displaced Persons in the North.