LEISURE

Five year tourism strategy launched

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Strategy for 2011-2016 was launched at King's Court , Cinnamon Lakeside on Monday.

Some of the local cultural items on display

New Tourism Strategy for Sri Lanka is formulated under the guidance of Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa by the Ministry of Economic development for the period from 2011 to 2016.

Tourism in Sri Lanka has been booming since mid 2009 with the number of arrivals surging rapidly on a month-on-month basis. The number of arrivals during the first six months this year was 381,538 up 36.9 percent from a year earlier.

Revenue from the industry during the first six months was US$ 370.1 million, up 50 percent from a year earlier. The Economic Development Ministry with the private sector launched an ambitious programme of doubling the hotel room capacity to 45,000 by 2016 over the current 22,745 to accommodate 2.5 million arrivals by that time under this Tourism Development Strategy.

The other key objectives are increase foreign exchange earnings from $ 501 million in 2010 to $ 2.75 billion in 2016, increase arrivals from the current 654,000 to 2.5 million by 2016, increase the current employment of 125,000 to 500,000 by 2016, attract $ 3 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) within the next five years, contribute towards improving the global image of Sri Lanka and position the country as one of the most sought after destinations in the world.

To buttress the overall growth of the industry, the report, says, there will be 14 areas for Foreign Direct Investments that the government has planned to open up.

They will be for golf courses, water parks, marinas, entertainment studios, light aircraft services and sea planes, convention and exhibition centers, gaming cities.

Dr. Nalaka Godahewa presenting the report to Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Pix by Chaminda Hittatiya	Commentator Tony Greig, Director and General Manager Cinnamon Grand, Rohan Karr, and Chairman John Keells, Susantha Ratnayake at the entrance.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abewardhana, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Imran Hassan, Director of the Sri Lanka Exhibition and convention Service, Aruna Lokuhetti, President of the Tourist Hotels Association and Rumy Jaufer, Managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority also participated at this occasion.

(SS)

Canada to host 'Wonder Sri Lanka' show in October

"Wonder Sri Lanka" Sri Lanka Travel and Trade Show 2011 will be held on 16 and 17 October 2011 at the Living Art Centre - Mississauga, Toronto, Canada one of the largest and modern theatres in the Greater Toronto, Canada.

"Wonder Sri Lanka" Toronto, Canada 2011 - will present a glimpse of the rich and diverse cultural traditions and the beauty of Sri Lanka, including a travel extravaganza, trade exhibition, investment opportunities, and breath-taking live performance.

Travels and Holidays Network is the presenting sponsor of the Sri Lanka Travel and Trade Show, and it is organized in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Consulate General Office in Toronto, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau and SriLankan Airlines.

A tourist attraction in Canada

Sri Lanka's award winning and popular dance troupe Channa and Upuli will perform and add excitement to the show with ancient and contemporary dance forms of Sri Lanka. The unique Fashion Arcade will showcase modern Sri Lankan fashion designs created by well-known designers including Sri Lankan Batik. The delectable, spice-infused, and modern Sri Lankan cuisine served by top chefs will further enhance the magic of the evening.

A display of Sri Lanka's exports, such as pure Ceylon Tea, gem stones like the world famous Ceylon Sapphire, and gift Items combined with displays from airlines and independent travel agents, will provide a one stop solution for Travel and Business visitors alike.

The Evening will also to be used as a platform in recognizing the individuals, organizations and companies who provide leadership in promoting Sri Lankan Travel industry in North America.

Apart from creating a positive atmosphere to enhance mutual understanding and goodwill between people of both countries, the evening will also be a catalyst for providing further positive momentum to the consolidation of friendly bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and Canada.

The event will be addressed by prominent guest speakers, including well-known travel experts and will be well represented by a distinguished gathering of over 1,500 special guests comprising diplomats and senior officials of the governments, investors, the business community, the tourism sector and the ethnic and main stream media including travel writers. The strategic focus of the event will be to showcase the beauty of Sri Lanka and the attractions that this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean has to offer to tourists around the world, and to encourage tourists to visit Sri Lanka and explore its natural attractions and historical landmarks in addition to experiencing the great cultural vibe.

The show will be followed by an invitee's industry reception hosted which will introduce Sri Lanka's first ever world class cocktail "Exotic Ceylon Blu".

"The Sri Lankan Travel Show will boost the Sri Lankan Travel Trade in North America, with countless opportunities to learn from travel experts, enjoy Sri Lankan entertainment, reserve vacations, and take advantage of fantastic discounts," says Yusri Abdulla, Executive Coordinator.

Eco team marks 11th year

With the tourism boom now experienced in Sri Lanka and projections to attract 2.5 million tourists by the year 2016 seemingly going well, the country is currently positioning itself on the global tourism map as a star product.

"However in order to do this, we need a long term marketing plan for the Alternate Tourism Sector too. We are doing everything we can to place Sri Lanka on the World Adventure Tourism map, but as a country we need to do a lot more to be able to get there. A national strategy coupled with a bottoms up approach would help," says Chairman of Eco Team, Anuruddha Bandara.

Eco Team, a trailblazer on different segments of eco/adventure tourism was established 11 years ago and has had a good run in this niche area despite being in operation for the most part during the country's war years, which Anurudda says was not a deterrent to his Company's high growth.

With an impressive portfolio of land and water based activities Eco Team services clients from Europe, North America, Canada and also India from whence demand has been increasing in recent times. Nature and Adventure trekking, Caving, Mountain biking & cycling, hot air ballooning, Camping, Rock climbing, Rain forest exploring, Wildlife safaris, Cultural festivals, Kayaking/canoeing, Snorkelling, Scuba diving, Surfing, Turtle watching, Water skiing, White water rafting, Windsurfing, Island and deep sea fishing tours are all part of Eco Team's activity spectrum. EcoTeam's accommodation portfolio now extends to 24 different locations across Sri Lanka. Although they see many more opportunities opening up, and a lot of outside interest has been expressed in this dynamic Company, in terms of partnerships and investment, Eco Team's Chairman says the Company's 11th year plan is to consolidate their strengths.

"With all this potential available to Sri Lanka, we definitely need to think about a long term plan if we are to have such high targets and this comes from looking at the here and now situations we are facing", he says. "We need to look at all market segments and alternate tourism could be one of the key contributors in achieving our national targets. For example, although there are specific niche products like Eco, Adventure and Argo tourism, we as a country is not yet mature enough to cater to these very niche segments. We are not yet attracting such specific holiday makers. However, Sri Lanka can and is attracting holiday goers looking for "Active"/ "alternate" solutions away from the mass tourism products.