Ayubowan! Sri Lanka № 30’2012 | October 3, 2012 1

Sri Lanka National Stand at “Leisure 2012” 18th international travel and tourism fair, “Leisure 2012” was held from 19th to 22nd of September, at the IEC ”Crocus Expo” in Moscow, Russia. The Embassy of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation organized the “Sri Lanka” stand with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. 14 companies: Tangerine Tours, Exotic Global Holidays, Club Bentota /Mount Lavinia Hotel, Maldiviana Holidays, Connaissance de Ceylon, Aitken Spence Travels, Concord Exotic Voyages, Jetwing Travels and Hotels, Walkers Tours, Nkar Travel and Tours, Citrus Leisure, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, Serendib Leasure and Serene Pavilions were present at the Sri Lanka stand. The representatives of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Embassy of Sri Lanka also took part at the exhibition. Special area was allocated to the national carrier SriLankan Airlines within the Sri Lanka stand which celebrated first anniversary of regular operations in the Moscow –Colombo sector on 17th September 2012. Mr. Nishantha Wickramasinghe, the Chairman of SriLankan Airlines graced the exhibition by arriving and participating in the exhibition. He also held several meetings with tour operators and hoteliers who participated in the Leisure 2012 exhibition. During the last year, SriLankan Airlines has operated 104 flights carrying approximately 11 000 passengers. The route Colombo-Moscow-Colombo is of much success with over 80% seat occupancy. Hence the airline has taken initiatives to increase the number of flights per week from 2 to 4, and will be in operation in near future. Meanwhile, additional flights will be on operation during New Year holidays.

His Excellency the Ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga, and Mr. Nishantha Wickramasinghe, the Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, opened the Sri Lanka stand, lighting the traditional oil lamp with other participants. Delivering the speeches at the opening ceremony, they highlighted the increment of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka. During the first 8 months of this year the total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka increased by15.8%. Almost 623 000 people visited the country. Among them, around 15 000 tourists were from Russia, which is 50.2% growth compared with the last year. His Excellency the Ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga also shared his future plans on tourism promotion with the representatives of the tourist companies and the hotels of Sri Lanka; particularly, about the video guide for the Russian tourists and the English version of the Catalogue on Sri Lanka Tourism. Both projects are at the final stages and will be published very soon. An Audio guide and the Catalogue on Sri Lanka Tourism in the Russian Language are already in circulation.

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World Spice Food Festival - 2012

World Spice Festival has emerged as an annual event publicizing internationally Sri Lanka’s reputation of being a country blessed abundantly with spices having historical links with countries of far East and Asia, Spice Food Festival has been in the calendar of events of Sri Lanka Tourism since 2005. ‘World Spice Food Festival ’ is an annual culinary event organized by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority with the participation of local and foreign signature chefs in Colombo five star Hotels & designated Restaurants.

In the cost benefit analysis it is revealed that the publicity generated by this event has contributed immensely to the efforts of tourism industry to promote culinary tourism. In the analysis of why people travel, culinary tourism now surfaces prominently with the travelers exploring food habits of the destination they visit. Considering the publicity element and the importance of culinary tourism in the diversity of attractions we project, the World Spice Food Festival has become more important than ever before. The public event “Hawkers’ street food promotion” is scheduled to take place at ‘Board Walk’ of Waters Edge, Battaramulla from 5th to 7th October 2012 this year. 15 signature chefs from different countries such as India, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Latin American, China, Middle East, Mongolia, Mexico and others are expected to take part in this mega culinary event. Proposed programme of this year is as follows:

4th Oct 2012 Press release & opening Ceremony (Mount Lavinia Hotel)

5th - 7th Oct 2012 Public Event – Hawkers street food promotion

8th -14th Oct 2012 Food Promotion in participating Establishments

13th Oct 2012 Closing Ceremony

15th Oct 2012 Familiarization Tour for participating foreign Chefs

International Kite Festival 2012

Kite Sri Lanka Association proudly presents the 5th consecutive year of their annual event on 6th & 7th October 2012 at Galle Face Green with the participation of 7 foreign countries and the mini events in Island wide. The purpose of the Festival is to promote Kite flying as a leisure activity for youth and to create an attraction for international tourists to take part in such an event. Kite Sri Lanka is an association which represents young people with a special

interest of promoting kite flying throughout the island and makes the sport available to all who love it. Kite Sri Lanka is a member of American Kite federation and involved the international events related to Kite flying. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority as a joint organizer will be involved in providing logistical support during the event as it promotes Sri Lanka as a suitable destination for kite flying. This event will be in conjunction with “The World Children’s day 2012” and mostly focused to the problem of bringing down the children in other countries.

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Sunburn Colombo 2012 One of Asia's popular music festivals called Sunburn Festival is set to make its debut at the CH & FC Grounds in Colombo on October 6. Sunburn Colombo 2012, the very first international edition of Asia's largest music festival is co-organized by Percept, an entertainment, media and Communications Company in India in collaboration with the Sri Lanka's fastest growing leisure company, Citrus Group.

Sunburn 2011 had almost 100,000 people over three days from all over India and the world and the Sunburn Colombo 2012 is expected to attract even a bigger crowd of local and foreign spectators. Sunburn has won many national and international accolades, including being nominated amongst the top 10 musical festivals in the world as well as being

Asia's biggest music festival. It was also voted as the best live Entertainment Event of the Year 2008 and 2010 and the best festival of the year 2011 at the WOW Awards. Organizers say that Grammy award-winning DJ Afro Jack will be a star attraction at the fest, which is known as India's largest youth event. Sunburn Sri Lanka will also feature other national and international artists from all genres of music. It will be the first ever musical extravaganza in Sri Lanka to be endorsed by VH1.

Government expends Rs. 36,894 million on roads construction

The Government’s investment on national roads was around Rs.36,894 million from January - May this year. This includes the Rs.11,363 million on expressway development and Rs.17,526 million on development of highways island wide. According to the Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report 2012, the Government has expended Rs.6,943 million on widening and improving national roads, Rs.294 million on bridges and flyovers and Rs.768 million on tsunami affected road rehabilitation. The Government has also spent Rs.8,939 million to develop provincial roads during this period. Rs.1,715 million and Rs.2,800 million have been spent to develop rural roads under the Maga Neguma and Gama Neguma programs.

Sri Lankan government to acquire land for 236 development projects

The government has decided to carry out land acquisition for 236 development projects. The owners of land will be paid compensations in line with the state evaluations.

These development projects include Colombo - Kandy expressway, Peradeniya - Badulla - Chenkaladi expressway, Matara - Kataragama railway line and other massive development projects. Ministry of Ports and Transport conducts 61 of these development projects. Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage handles 31 projects while the Ministry of Land Development carries out 37 such projects.

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SLTB bus fleet to be strengthened The Transport Ministry has added another 245 buses to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) fleet. 11 of these buses are luxury ones, operating on the Southern Expressway at present and the balance 234 buses have been put on long distance routes, such as, the Colombo to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Puttalam, Ampara, Bandarawela, Hatton, Kandy, Kataragama, Matara and Gallem. Out of the total of 260 new buses, 140 were purchased on a concessionary leasing scheme. The rest were purchased with Treasury

funds. 105 of the 120 newly purchased buses are already in operation. The present SLTB operational bus fleet is nearly 4,750 which will be gradually increased.

SriLankan Airlines opened passenger sales agency in Hambantota

Sri Lanka's national career SriLankan Airlines opened its latest passenger sales agency office in southern city of Hambantota. Hambantota office which is located at No.30, Wilmot Street is operated by Classic Travel Private Limited which has been appointed as the Passenger Sales Agency. Classic Travels (Pvt) Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of Expolanka Holdings. Hambantota office is the second officially declared Passenger Sales Agency opened this year. SriLankan opened another Passenger Sales Office in the heart of the Jaffna Peninsula, on 4th May, 2012. Metro Travels & Tours spearheads the operations there.

The islands in Kalpitiya as tourist destinations

The government will lease 10 islands in Kalpitiya to develop them as tourist destinations under the Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Project. Two islands have already been leased. The other eight are to be leased within a few years after infrastructure facilities in the islands are completed. Kalpitiya will be the latest tourist attraction, similar to Bali and the Maldives.

14 islands in the Kalpitiya area have been selected for the initial stage of this project. The estimated total project cost

will be four billion US dollars. The project is expected to be carried out mainly through private investments while the government will facilitate the infrastructure development of the islands. Roads and houses will be constructed while more facilities will be provided for the fisheries industry. The Ministry’s target is to attract 2.5 million tourists into the country by 2016. There is a requirement of about 50,000 hotel rooms to meet this target and 5,000 rooms will be constructed in Kalpitiya.

A high priority will be given to environmental protection and the natural beauty of the area. Kalpitiya can be a major tourist attraction with corals, dolphins, Wilpattu National Park, archaeological sites and rich cultural heritage in the Puttalam district.

Also the necessary measures have been taken in coordination with the related Departments to acquire 17 more islands in Kalpitiya. With the completion of this addition, the new Tourist Zone would consist of 31 islands.

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Deer Park Hotel

Deer Park Hotel is your window to the magnificent past of Sri Lanka’s ancient civilizations and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Amongst the many discoveries you’ll make in the Cultural Triangle is Deer Park Hotel, which emerges in rustic splendor from the lush tropical jungle bordering Minneriya- Giritale National Park. Wild elephants, leopards and sloth bears are just some of the majestic animals you might encounter on a jeep safari, or some of the 160 species of birds making the park a veritable birdwatcher’s paradise. The cottages in Deer Park Hotel bring you right into the midst of nature. All 77 cottages are comfortably furnished. Most of them come with unique open-air garden bathrooms with outdoor showers so you can enjoy the sensational experience of a shower under the stars! Superior Cottage - Rustic cottages in the woods, ideal for couples or families Duplex Cottage - double-storey cottages are perfect for families and groups. Deluxe Duplex Cottage - Similar to the Duplex Cottage but more spacious. Deer Park Cottage - Surrounded by beautiful landscaping and water lily ponds, has a private gazebo with views of the serene Giritale reservoir. Deer Park Hotel offers a variety of dining options designed to extend your cultural journey in this magical land: cozy Sandpiper bar, Tree Tops restaurant up into the trees, the Ebony restaurant offers both local and international cuisine, featuring oriental music. And at the Deer Park Spa you can enjoy a range of invigorating treatments. Address: Giritale, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka Tel: +94-27-224-62-72, +94-27-775-55-28-31 Fax: +94-27-224-64-70 Email: mail@deerparksrilanka.com, reservations@deerparksrilanka.com Web: www.deerparksrilanka.com

The Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

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