Travel

Kandy perahera in full swing

Charumini DE SILVA

The magnificent Kandy Esala perahera, Sri Lanka's most glamarous cultural festival commenced last week and will conclude on August 5, Poya day.

There will be 90 caparisoned elephants to display the best Kandyan culture with the famous Kandyan dancers, whip crackers, wind instruments, drummers and other performers.

The religious observances commenced at the auspicious time on July 22 and the Kumbal perahera which began on July 27 concluded yesterday. The dazzling Randoli perahera will begin on August 1 and will continue till August 4 with the ending set to take place on August 5", an official of the Dalada Maligawa (the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) said. "It is significant that we are having the Kandy perahera this year in a peaceful country. After defeating terrorism Sri Lanka has raised its reputation around the world. At present, with the relaxed travel advisories we are expecting a huge crowd to see the magnificent Kandy Esala perahera", he said.

"There will be bus and train services, which will benefit the crowds who visit Kandy this season. We request people to minimize the use of polythene as it will help reduce litter on streets", he said.

He told a few hoteliers in Kandy that the response this year was very impressive and the number of tourists had increased compared to the previous years. There are many local and foreign tourists and we hope there would be more tourists to see the final Randoli perahera".

Nallur festival celebrated on grand scale

Thousands of Hindu devotees are flocking to the historic Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil for the annual Nallur festival. The festival which began on July 27 concludes on August 19. The annual festival is being celebrated on a grand scale this year, with the dawn of peace in the country.

Sri Lanka Tourism, as an initiative to promote religious and cultural tourism, has spearheaded the promotion of the historic Nallur Festival, particularly with the Tamil diaspora, who have come with their families to participate in the festivities. Minister of Tourism Promotion Faiszer Musthapha with a delegation from the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Industry visited Jaffna last week to develop and promote the tourism and hotel industry in the peninsula ahead of the festival.

"This is the first time that the Nallur Festival is being celebrated with peace prevailing in the country," said Minister Musthapha. "After the successful eradication of terrorism in Sri Lanka, Hindu devotees are performing their religious rights without any hassle.

The Government has not only been successful in providing freedom of religious observance for the Hindu community but also providing facilities for them to perform their religious duties without being subject to harassment.

Sri Lanka Tourism is working closely with Heli Tours, the commercial branch of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) have introduced direct charter flights to transport devotees to Jaffna during the festival.

The Nallur Festival is one of the highlights of the social, cultural and spiritual milieu of the Jaffna society. In Sri Lanka and beyond, the Nallur Kumaran is popularly known as Alankara Kanthan (Lord of exquisite adornment).

The annual festival of Nallur Kumaran temple is conducted from July or August each year for 28 days. It commences with the flag hoisting ceremony followed by the Mancham, Kailaya Vahanam, Oru Muga Tiruvizha, Saparam, Ther and Teertham and the finale is Tiru Kalyanam.

Efforts to rebrand destination:

Tourism makes headway

Gayan KANCHANA

Tourism in Sri Lanka is now heading towards a great moment in time after 30 long years of conflict and terrorism having ended. Sri Lanka tourism is taking efforts to re-brand the destination in the eyes of the international community, said Minister of Tourism Nandana Gunathilaka

Minister Gunathilaka who was the Chief Guest was addressing the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) at the Waters Edge recently.

The Minister said, "At present the tourist industry in Sri Lanka has come to an important point, it has passed the most difficult period and this is a great opportunity for all of us to develop the tourism industry to the highest level.

The THASL has come a long way together with the Tourist Board. "I have witnessed the hard work being carried out by the THASL to position Sri Lanka as a pleasing destination in this part of the world".

"I believe that the hard work undertaken by the THASL, other stake holders and the Tourism Ministry and its agencies will create immense opportunities for our communities and benefit the economy," he said.

The Guest of Honour at the event, Public Administration and Home Affairs and Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Sarath Amunugama said, "Tourism will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the country's peace dividend. The number of tourist arrivals has already recorded a significant increase in June, the first such rise since May last year. This is a significant achievement for a country that eradicated terrorism only a couple of months ago.

Many in the industry have expressed confidence that Sri Lanka could soon look forward to hosting around 2.5 million tourists a year. The reopening of the North and East for tourism is a major milestone in this regard aparat from the lifting of travel advisories," he said.

President, THASL Siril Miththapala said, "With the end of the war against terrorism, and Sri Lanka's ground security situation rapidly returning to normalcy, there is certain considerable focus and interest on the tourism sector, which is expected to bounce back very soon. After decades of struggle, we in the tourism industry stand today at a very decisive moment in the history of Sri Lanka tourism," he said.