Diversity, harmony makes Lanka a sought after destination - envoy

Sri Lanka ranks among the most sought-after tourism destinations today. With a range of specialities from scenic beauty, wildlife, cultural heritage, festivities, and beaches to Ayurveda on offer, Sri Lanka's accomplishments in peace building and economic development have gained world recognition, said Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Austria A L A Azeez

Ambassador Azeez was speaking when a group of 40 representatives from the Austrian Gardeners' Association, which comprises 40,000 members throughout Austria, visited the Sri Lanka Mission in Vienna, accompanied by travel operators and airline representatives, at the invitation of its staff .

The members of the Association received a briefing on the country, its people, environment and culture prior to their visit to Sri Lanka . The staff of the Sri Lanka Mission hosted them to a buffet of traditional Sri Lankan food, followed by the screening of a short film on Sri Lanka and a presentation in German on travel and tourism.

Ambassador Azeez stressed that Sri Lanka ranks among the most sought-after tourism destinations today. Referring to peace and harmony that prevails among all communities and religions in Sri Lanka, he invited the members of the Austrian Gardeners' Association to view a documentary on Adam's Peak, produced by Meta Film Ltd, of Austria with the facilitation of the Sri Lanka Mission, which is to be telecast shortly by the popular German language television network, 3 SAT in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The documentary entitled 'Between heaven and earth' focuses on how Adam's Peak, known as 'Sri Pada', unites four religions and communities inhabiting the island, with its message of peace and unity resonating well beyond Sri Lanka. The documentary was shown on the ORF TV channel, Austrian partner of 3 SAT. Austrian Gardeners' Association Board of Directors president Hanspeter Nimmerrichter, spoke about the positive impression that he and his fellow members had gained of Sri Lanka since they started working on their travel plan. He emphasized that their positive impression would encourage more of their members to travel to Sri Lanka and enjoy its beauty and hospitality in the future.