Daily News Online
 

Saturday, 21 August 2010

Home

 | SHARE MARKET  | EXCHANGE RATE  | TRADING  | SUPPLEMENTS  | PICTURE GALLERY  | ARCHIVES | 

dailynews
 ONLINE


OTHER PUBLICATIONS


OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals
Classified
Government Gazette

Sri Lankan Ambassador to US leads inaugural tour:

More US tourists visit Lanka

Sri Lankan Ambassador to US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, DC, in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, launched the first in a series of Signature Tours that will bring more American travellers to Sri Lanka.


The tourists with Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday. Picture by Kumarasiri Prasad - Airport correspondent

The group of tourists who arrived in Sri Lanka last morning will be here till August 29, accompanying them are Ambassador Wickramasuriya. Travellers on the inaugural trip include an award-winning travel writer, Hollywood film professional and executives from a variety of companies.

"It is our pleasure to bring this group of American travellers to Sri Lanka," Wickramasuriya said. "I look forward to introducing the travellers to our island of unrivaled splendour and our welcoming culture. I know our journey will be an eye-opening experience that will highlight Sri Lanka's boundless potential."

The 12-day itinerary includes travel from Colombo to the UN World Heritage site of the Galle Fort and then a visit to the renowned countryside and tea fields of Nuwara Eliya. Working with the Embassy, the itinerary was organized by Jetwing Travels.

Earlier this year The New York Times named Sri Lanka its number one travel destination in 2010 and National Geographic ranked Sri Lanka second among its top 25 places to visit in 2010.

The Embassy plans to arrange Signature Tours on an annual basis.

Due to the stable peaceful conditions in Sri Lanka since May 2009 end of a conflict against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the number of tourists arrivals has increased by 50 percent during the first half of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. The US Department of State in May recognized the lasting peace and lifted a travel advisory.

"We believe we are just scratching the surface of our tourism market and we look forward to continued growth," Ambassador Wickramasuriya said.

Guidance and cooperation extended by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority officials were essential in the timely implementation of this initiative.

EMAIL |   PRINTABLE VIEW | FEEDBACK

www.lanka.info
LANKAPUVATH - National News Agency of Sri Lanka
www.peaceinsrilanka.org
www.army.lk
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL)
www.news.lk
www.defence.lk
Donate Now | defence.lk
www.apiwenuwenapi.co.uk

| News | Editorial | Business | Features | Political | Security | Sport | World | Letters | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2010 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Editor