Category: Tourism

Oct 25, 2010 (LBO) – Land in a military sports ground in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo would be given to Hong Kong-based Shangri-La group to build a 75 million US dollar luxury hotel and apartment complex, a media report said. Sri Lanka’s The Sunday Times newspaper said the cabinet of ministers had approved the proposal […]

Oct 25, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s listed Aitken Spence group has proposed to build a luxury city hotel on excess land owned by a state-run firm in the island’s capital Colombo, fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratna said. The land belongs to Ceynor Foundation, a state-run boat builder. The firm has offices in Colombo’s D R […]

Oct 18, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s has been nominated under few regional categories for Asia region in the World Travel Awards, but lost to countries like India, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia which swept the boards. Sri Lanka is recovering from 30 years of war and the country has been named the top […]

Oct 18, 2010 (LBO) – Delays in getting land are holding up new hotel projects in Sri Lanka which needs more rooms for an anticipated boom in arrivals with the end of a war, an official said. Hiran Cooray, chairman of the Jetwing hotel and travel group, said there was much pressure for new investments […]

Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism future lies in focusing on niche products and not in the mass market, given its small size and excess capacity in competing destinations, industry officials said. The country’s target of attracting 2. 5 million visitors and adding 25,000 rooms by 2016 might not be achievable nor desirable, […]

Oct 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Jetwing group plans to build a hotel in the northern Jaffna peninsula, part of the former war zone which is recovering after the end of the island’s ethnic war, an official said. Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing, said the hotel was part of the group’s expansion plan to […]

Oct 08, 2010 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka rose 24. 6 percent to 47,339 people in September 2010 from a year ago, driven by sharp increases from traditional European markets, tourism office data showed. The island’s peak tourism season coincides with the northern hemisphere winter. In the January-September 2010 period, tourist arrivals were […]

Oct 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist industry is considering the possibility of importing labour, possibly from India, as a last resort to meet an anticipated shortage of workers given the sudden influx of visitors, an official said. “We will consider recruiting people from other countries, that will be our last option,” says Suranga […]

Sept 30, 2010 (LBO) – Six Senses Resorts & Spas is to set up their first property in Sri Lanka in a joint venture with Aitken Spence conglomerate and the Favourite Group, a statement said. The project, worth 35-40 million US dollars, will comprise a resort and spa and beach front residential villas on a […]

Sept 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stock exchange has approved the issue of new shares and attached warrants by Hotel Reefcomber to raise cash to revamp the hotel, a statement said. Hotel Reefcomber, which owns the Amaya Reef hotel on the southwest coast, plans to consolidate 10 shares to one and then sell a […]

Sept 24, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Taj Airport Garden Hotel, a 130 room hotel will be expanded with 100 more rooms and rebranded under the group’s ‘The Gateway Hotel’ as part of a renewed marketing push, officials said. “The rebranding will take place from January 2010,” general manager Mathew Thomas said. “In two months […]

Sept 24, 2010 (LBO) – India’s Taj group is looking for opportunities in Sri Lanka’s war-torn eastern coast and a city hotel it controls will also need 30 to 35 million US dollars to be upgraded to fit the group’s new brand portfolio, officials said. India itself sends more tourists to Sri Lanka than any […]