Sri Lanka Tourism Blog

United States Department of State updated its travel warning on Sri Lanka alerting the American citizens traveling to or living in Sri Lanka about the continuing danger of terrorist attacks throughout the country.

The updated warning urged the Americans to carefully evaluate the risks of travel to Sri Lanka and specifically warned against traveling to northern and eastern areas.

It warned the Americans to avoid large crowds and public gatherings and particularly political rallies, military bases, and government and military vehicle convoys, which are frequent targets of LTTE attacks.

Despite that no tourist is being targeted in the recent bus and train station bombings the travel warning urged the visitors no to use public transportation.

“In light of attacks against civilian buses and trains, American citizens are strongly advised against traveling by bus or train in Sri Lanka. U.S. Government personnel are currently prohibited from using these modes of transportation,” it said.

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In the latest edition of the travel+leasur
magazine has selected Sri Lanka’s Heritance Kandalama Hotel among the best 15 eco hotels (Green Hotels) of the world. Heritance Kandalama has been among the best ten-twenty from the inception and it is good to see they are maintaining their quality even during the hard times.
More about Heritance Kandalama : http://www.heritancehotels.com/HK/index.php

Siddhalepa laanched its operations in Germany recently taking the art of healing the natural way to the world With its entry into Germany, Siddhalepa becomes the only ayurveda company in the world to own and operate treatment centres in multiple countries.

In addition to its very own state of the art manufacturing complex, producing preparations according toraditional methods in a modern setting. Siddhalepa has propelled itself into the heart of Europe, as Germany is a central hub to many European countries.

In order to offer the total ayurvedic experience in Germany, Siddhalepa has invested heavily in both training and infrastructure. All therapists are Sri Lankan and have undergone extensive training in Sri Lanka.

All doctors have also had training in addition, to a period of residence at the Siddhalepa Hospital in Sri Lanka.

Located on the second largest island in Germany, Usedom, Siddhalepa offers its services at the Hotel Baltic.

Even the chefs have been trained in order how to prepare foods that are in line with the philosophy of traditional ayurvedic healing.

Siddhalepa also insists that all ingredients and remedies are formulated using ingredients and preparations imported directly from its very own International Standard,

Sri Lankan factory and all meet the stringent approval of the German government.

Siddhalepa in addition to its, ISO approved factory currently operates the Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort in Wadduwa, the Siddhalepa Ayurveda Hospital and Anarva day spa in Mount Lavinia and offers travellers relaxation at the Business Class lounge of the Bandaranaike International airport.

The recent past has shown a significant increase in the number of travellers to ayurvedic destinations such as India and Sri Lanka.

The Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort in Wadduwa already maintains excellent links with leading travel and tour operators such as TUI, Meier’s Weltreisen and Thomas Cook, with Siddhalepa products and services now being made available in Germany.

United States Department of State (DOS) today updated its travel advisory on Sri Lanka specifically warning Americans against travel to northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka. DOS warned the Americans against traveling particularly to LTTE-controlled areas in the north saying they may pose severe hazards.

The travel warning said despite the Sri Lankan government’s assurance that it has effectively controlled the eastern part of the country since July 2007 the security is not yet guaranteed.

It said that although other parts of the country are mostly safe, the LTTE has conducted attacks outside of the northern and eastern areas citing recent LTTE air attacks on the Katunayake Air Force Base and the oil facilities in Colombo and the October 15th attack on Army camp in the Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka.

The advisory restricts official travel by U.S. Government personnel to areas north of a line following the highway from Puttalam through Anuradhapura to Polonaruwa, Bibile, and Pottuvil in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka and prohibits unofficial travel.

French travel agents are visiting Sri Lanka on a tourism promotion which includes what’s billed as a treasure hunt where they search for clues and discover the island’s hidden charms, the Tourist Board said Monday.

The visit by over 40 French travel agents and journalists comes with the French Foreign Ministry’s complete lifting of a travel ban on Sri Lanka that was prompted by an escalation in the ethnic war.

Most travel advisories in key tourism generating markets in Europe have already been relaxed and the tourism office hopes Australia and Canada too will follow suit, Mudadeniya said.

Tourist arrivals from the countries with relaxed advisories have already picked up and traffic that was supposed to reach Myanmar has started to flow to the island, tourism officials said.

The one week visit by the French group will consist of familiarization tours and events such as cycling, trekking, canoeing and walking.

With the group are five journalists from France, Dileep Mudadeniya, Additional Director, and Tourism Promotional Bureau told LBO.

The promotional event which is in progress, Mudadeniya said, is supposed to get wide coverage in the media in France.

“That will give them enormous confidence to come to Sri Lanka,” he said.

The ‘Treasure Hunt’ is meant to enable the visitors to discover exceptional tourist sites by interacting with the local communities.

Sri Lanka predicts tourist numbers will recover in the next three months as bookings for the forthcoming winter season look good, officials said.

They expect the tourism sector to benefit from the diversion of tourists from Myanmar which has been rocked by violent public protests that included Buddhist monks against 45 years of military rule.

The protests were followed by a bloody crackdown that left 13 persons including a Japanese journalist, dead.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing a downturn in foreign visitors this year with arrivals slipping 15.5 percent in August.

The total number of arrivals from January to August this year has fallen 22.6 percent to 313,675 from 405,488 last year.

Sri Lanka received 559,603 visitors the whole of last year.

On October 02^nd , the French Government officially lifted the adverse Travel Advisory affecting Sri Lanka, with immediate effect. The French Government has communicated with citizens that “traveling to Sri Lanka is as good as Travelling to UK or any other similar country.” this is a green light for Sri Lanka lovers to visit our country.

The Sri Lanka Tourist board had invited an independent Security team from France to visit Sri Lanka and assess the security situation here. The French Government acting on this report has completely relaxed the adverse travel advisory which has been imposed in Sri Lanka on 2006. However, the North and East have not been ruled out as insecure zones.

The Minister for Toursim Milinda Moragoda and his team were able to successfully convince France on the recent security situation.

The Ministry of Tourism, SriLankn Air Lines and Travel agents and other stake holders have all cooperated with the Government in this effort.

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As a last minute travel option, you should try booking at a travel lodge instead of your usual hotels. If you have managed to get your hand at cheap flights , it is even better. You don’t have to bother about rental cars though.

Luxury Sri Lankan holidays are up for grabs at bargain-basement prices after a leading hotel group slashed prices by 50%.

The Aman group, which runs five-star properties across Asia, has cut its room rates on the island, bringing down the cost of a double from £250 per night to £125 in the Amanwella beach resort, and from £316 to £158 at the Amangalla townhouse, in the 16th-century port of Galle, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The discount remains valid until September 2008 and was introduced, Aman says, “following a decline in international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka associated with the impact of civil conflict”.

Sources within the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, however, suggest that Aman is exaggerating the effects of the unrest to conceal the fact that its rooms are overpriced, and British tour operators are reporting increasing demand for the island’s tropical beaches.

“Sri Lanka is well on the road to recovery,” says Frances Tuke, of Abta. “First Choice has launched weekly charter flights and arrivals last year were back to 90% of pretsunami levels.”

Vast stretches of Sri Lanka’s coastline were devastated by the 2004 tsunami, and the recovery of the island’s tourist industry has been hindered by an increase in violence between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatists.

No tourists have been hurt in the troubles, but the island remains on a Foreign Office advisory list that also includes Afghanistan, Colombia, Israel and Iraq.

England’s cricketers have just started their tour of Sri Lanka, drawing thousands of fans in their wake. Rosanna de Lisle highlights some of the treats that await the Barmy Army.

Sri Lankans never seem to stop smiling, but when the England cricket team last toured their country, in late 2003, they had genuinely good reason to be cheerful.

England’s tour of Sri Lanka starts on October 1 with a one-day international in Dambulla, followed by two more on the same ground and two in Colombo. Sri Lankans like the excitement of day-night cricket and will bunk off work to watch screens on street corners, but it’s the Test matches in December that are expected to draw thousands of England fans.

So here’s our guide to the three Test venues, along with a few ideas for the companion who’s along for the ride rather than the wickets.

If dialing any of the phone numbers from outside Sri Lanka, replace the initial 0 with 0094.

Kandy: First Test, December 1-5

The hill capital was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese kings and still has a majestic air that is not all to do with its fresher weather. Arrive from hot, heaving Colombo and Kandy’s magnificent Temple of the Tooth, its calm grey-green lake and its steep, wooded hills seem to belong to another country.

The ground
The Asgiriya Stadium is carved into a hillside. England usually play well here, helped by the kinder climate. “Kandy tends to produce nail-biting, adventurous cricket,” says Charlie Austin. “The pitch is quicker and bouncier and the Kandy supporters are very vocal - this is Murali’s home town. They take on the Barmy Army and the camaraderie is very good.”

Where to stay
Much the loveliest place is The Kandy House, but its nine rooms are already booked during the cricket. However, there are plenty of larger hotels, comfortable if slightly staid, perched above the lake and river. The best bets are Amaya Hills, Earl’s Regency, Mahaweli Reach, Hunas Falls, Thilanka; from around £50 double b & b. The scenic Victoria Golf Course has a lodge and chalets.

Where to eat and drink
Kandy is not well endowed with restaurants but the most atmospheric place to eat is Helga’s FollyPub Royal (cocktails and dinner, about £10 per person; book ahead on 081 223 4571). Bamboo Garden (081 447 6099), up the hill from the Temple of the Tooth, is a cheap and cheerful Chinese with a terrace, bar and big screen; main courses from 400 rupees (£1·75). The colonial at the Queens Hotel and first-floor Pub, both on the main drag, Dalada Veediya, will be post-match hangouts.

Diversions from the field
The fantastically gilded Temple of the Tooth draws pilgrims from all over the world. Go at 10am or 6pm to see ceremonies; don’t expect to see the Buddha’s tooth relic, which is in a casket.

The Kandyan Arts Association has dance and drumming every day at 6pm. The British Garrison Cemetery is full of tea planters, whose stories are told by the caretaker. The Botanical Gardens are worth an hour or three. The elephant orphanage at Pinnawela is well known, but you will learn more about elephants, and can ride one, at the Millennium Elephant Foundation up the road.

Senani Silks, near Royal Palace Park, is great for saris. Isini Gems, opposite, is a museum as well as a shop. Waruna Antiques on Peradeniya Road is worth a rummage.

Matale, 14 miles north of Kandy, is famous for its spice gardens and for the renowned batik artist Ena de Silva’s Heritage Centre (066 222 2404). Book three days ahead to have lunch and you’ll be served up to 20 exquisitely slow-cooked curries.

Colombo: Second Test, December 9-13

At first sight, the capital is chaotic and charmless, but beyond the ugly thoroughfares there are pockets of serenity - avenues of rain trees, parks, temples and the odd grand public building.

The ground

The Singhalese Sports Club is Sri Lanka’s Lord’s. There’s no lighting here, so one-day matches happen at Premadasa Stadium. There’s no breeze and the ground can get hot and humid - for spectators as much as players. Leave the grass banks to the locals and find a seat in the shade.

Where to stay

The teams stay at the Taj Samudra. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to wake up in no doubt about where you are in the world, you’d be better off at the Galle Face Hotel. This seafront institution is decidedly worn and the older rooms are probably only for those who wish the empire had never ended, but the Regency wing now has modern bathrooms (double b & b from £47).

For more sophistication, stay at one of Colombo’s new boutique hotels. The Park Street Hotel is a quietly swish conversion of a colonial bungalow (www.taruvillas.com; double b & b from about £140). Casa Colombo packs bold contemporary design into a Moorish palace. The décor is too funky for its shirt, but the MacBook, iPod and personal butler standard to each room make for a cosseting stay (www.casacolombo.com; double b & b from £180).

Where to eat and drink

England fans congregate at Clancy’s, the bar of the Colombo Cricket Club. Bayleaf, an Italian restaurant with a large garden, is also within walking distance of the SSC (79 Gregory’s Road; 011 535 9653). The Cricket Club Café (34 Queens Road; 011 250 1384) is highly themed, with Bradman’s burger and lots of memorabilia on the menu.

The Gallery Café (2 Alfred House Road, 011 258 2162) has great fusion food and, as the former office of the celebrated architect Geoffrey Bawa, even better style; dinner and drinks from £20 a head.

Beach Wadiya serves simple seafood right on the sands. It’s barefoot-relaxed, but you need to book (2 Station Avenue, 011 258 8568).

Diversions

Cricket widows should be consoled by Colombo’s shops. Paradise Road (next to the Gallery Café) sells chic contemporary homewares at prices so tempting you may want to ask about shipping; at Barefoot (706 Galle Road), vibrant, hand-loomed textiles are fashioned into everything from clothes to toys; and Odel (5 Alexandra Place) sells clothes made locally for Western labels, but without Western price-labels.

Galle: Third Test, December 18-22

Dangling into the Indian Ocean like a chunky jewel, Galle Fort is both historic and increasingly hip, as more and more of its 17th-century Dutch merchants’ houses are turned into hotels, villas and shops. Happily, it remains a living, working town and hasn’t become a museum.

The ground

The stadium should be rebuilt in time for the Test, but it’s really only the pitch that is vital: the game can be seen from the ramparts. “It’s like the carnival comes to town - it’s fabulous,” says Olivia Richli, manager of Amangalla, the Fort’s most sumptuous hotel. “There’s a party atmosphere on the ramparts and everyone gets very, very red.” Hats and sunscreen essential.

Where to stay

The teams stay at the Lighthouse, a late Bawa masterpiece that stands dramatically on a headland a mile from the Fort. Two freshwater pools and a superb spa draw non-residents, as does the sunset over the ocean (www.jetwinghotels.com; double b & b from £85).

Galle’s clutch of boutique hotels - Amangalla and the Galle Fort Hotel inside the ramparts, the Sun House and Dutch House in the new town - are fully booked during the cricket, but will be open to diners and drinkers. Tamarind Hill, a colonial mansion near the Lighthouse, should be open by December (www.taruvillas.com, double b & b from about £110).

There are plenty of cheaper options along the coast, such as Sun and Sand and Thambapanni Retreat in Unawatuna, and Amaya Reef and Cinnamon Gardens in Hikkaduwa.

Where to eat and drink

The best spots for sundowners are the Lighthouse, the Rampart Hotel in the Fort and the Ladyhill (Upper Dickson Road). Dine at the Galle Fort Hotel (091 223 2870), which has terrific pan-Asian food, or the Sun House (091 438 0275), where there’ll be a barbecue for up to 40 in the courtyard and a plasma screen in Dick’s Bar (free tuk-tuk shuttle from the ground). The bars - and beaches - of Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa will reliably rock into the night.

Diversions

There’s so much to see and do around Galle that even a cricket tragic could be tempted to miss a few overs. Wander round the Fort, taking in the Dutch church, temple, mosque, bastions and some surprisingly good shopping (find Barefoot, Elephant Walk, Mimimango and several jewellers on and around Church Street).

Surf at Hikkaduwa, dive at Unawatuna or head into the hinterland to Sinharaja rainforest, Samakanda, a visionary ecological project (www.samakanda.org), or Handunugoda Tea Estate (091 228 6364) which produces some of the world’s finest white tea.
# Red Dot Tours (0113 815 0864 or 01937 842846, www.reddottours.com) is the official agent for the England cricket tour. The company can book all the hotels mentioned above. Its packages are especially good value: Kandy Test, including return flights, eight nights’ b & b, airport and stadium transfers, tickets to all five days of the Test, from £905 per person, based on two sharing. Colombo and Galle Tests, with flights, transfers, match tickets and 16 nights’ b & b, from £940pp. Red Dot is also putting on events for supporters during each Test.

To promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination by inviting sports teams from Germany to visit Sri Lanka is the aim of the Asian German Sports Exchange Programme.

Badminton, handball, table tennis, football and volleyball teams from Germany will be touring Sri Lanka on theinvitation of AGSEP early next year. Teams from leading German cities like Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, Bremen, Liepzig ad Magdeburg along with their supporters and family members will be visiting Sri Lanka early next year.

During their two week stay in the island the German teams will be playing three matches each against their Sri Lankan counterparts in Colombo, Kandy, Marawila and Galle and will also go on sightseeing tours to Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Galle which would be a huge boost for the country’s tourist industry.

The aim of organising the sports tours is to bring about friendship and understanding between the players of the two countries and to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination among the sports-loving Germans.

Two students from the University of Passau, Germany, Karin Anthuber, a badminton player and Stefan Eggecs, a handball player are organising the tours on behalf of AGSEP.

British High Commissioner Dominic Chilcott praised the performance of the Lankan travel industry despite the difficult environment created by the conflict.

Highlighting the potential for tourism to contribute to Sri Lanka’s economic development he encouraged the Government and the industry to realise the massive potential for tourism, particularly in promoting growth in rural areas.

“The variety of tourist sites, from beaches to temples to scenery to wildlife, together with the smiling Sri Lankan people, makes Sri Lanka a unique destination,” he said.

Speaking at the Ceylon Hotel School Graduate’s Association event in Habarana the High Commissioner highlighted three areas where change would significantly improve Sri Lanka’s earnings from tourism: ending the conflict, more eco-tourism and improving the country’s transport infrastructure.

The High Commissioner said strong historical and cultural links between Britain and Sri Lanka meant that British tourist arrivals had dropped only slightly compared to some other nations in recent months. British tourists remained the industries most valuable overseas customers.

On the eve of England’s cricket tour he hoped the tourism industry and the country as a whole, were prepared for the arrival of England’s touring fans, the “Barmy Army”.