Sri Lanka Attracts High End French Tourist Group

The growing demand from incentive Travelers in the MICE tourism segment had increased quite sharply over the past years who are traveling mainly for the purpose business and investment. Sri Lanka Tourism has identified MICE segment as a key driver of tourism growth and a contributor for overall economic development of Sri Lanka. As a result of the Wonder of Asia promotional campaign initiated by Ministry of Economic Development and Sri Lanka Tourism in Europe, Sri Lankan Travel agents have been receiving many up market incentive groups to Sri Lanka during the recent past. One of Sri Lanka’s leading travel agents Connaisance De Ceylon received a group of 130 pax incentive group from Toulouse – France on 26th March which is latest addition to the group incentive travelers visiting the country.

The group consisted of high end tourists from France representing different segments and mainly looking for investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. Due to the new infrastructure developments in the country especially in the areas of domestic air travel, the group took flight using MI 17 helicopters of Heli Tours. A fleet of 06 helicopters carried the incentive group for sightseeing tour from Kandy to down south. The Helitours Pvt Ltd unveiled its newest fleet of helicopters recently which are highly sophisticated for tourist travel.

The groups was highly impressed with the novel experience of having the opportunity to take a birds eye view of Sri Lanka’s luscious greenery and landscape from skies above. They were in full of praise on the latest developments taken place in Sri Lanka for high end tourist travelers such as what they experienced travelling by helicopters. Chairman of Connaisance De Ceylon Mr. Chandra Wickramasinhe played a pivotal role in bringing down and organizing the innovative experience offered to the insentive group from France.

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“Leading Tourism Newspapers Endorse Sri Lanka Tourism Promotional Campaign in China”

The latest issues of leading Chinese newspapers namely “China Tourism News” and “Oriental Morning Post” have heavily endorsed Sri Lanka Tourism promotional strategy and campaigns being carried out in Beijing and Shanghai over several months period starting from last year. The cover story of “China Tourism News” states that “Sri Lanka has seen a rapid growth in number of Chinese Tourists visiting Sri Lanka” and the Oriental Morning Post article says ‘Sri Lanka the Fascinating country causing a climax in Shanghai”

The Full articles as appeared in the newspapers are inserted below:

Article 01 : Rapid Growth in number of the Chinese Tourists visit Sri Lanka – China Tourism News – Published on 28th February 2014

Article 02 : Sri Lanka the Fascinating country causing a climax in Shanghai - Oriental Morning Post - Published on 7th March 2014

Rapid growth in number of the Chinese tourists visit Sri Lanka 
- China Tourism News February 28th 2014 (Friday)

(Reporter: Wu Wei)

According to the information of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, in January 2014, a total of 146,000 tourists visited Sri Lanka. It was a growth of 32.6 % on year to year basis. The Chinese tourist arrival in Sri Lanka during the same period was 10,780 and recorded a growth of 223.9 % in comparison to January 2013. China is the top most source of tourists’ arrival in Sri Lanka in January 2014.

Official of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said that this result is inseparable with the vigorous promotional drive carried out in the Chinese market and the creative activities in 2013. It is understood that since September 2013, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau together with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the People Republic of China in succession start the advertisement on 200 public buses in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu cities, which last for 6 months. Among them, Beijing has 50 double decker buses. Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have 50 normal buses each. That is comprehensive coverage of large trunk road, Universities, Campuses and Central business district. The bus advertisement is a mobile outdoor media advertisement method to show the rich tourism resources of Sri Lanka in polyhedral solid ways. The reporter visited a number of travel agencies and find out that Sri Lanka becomes a black horse in the outbound travel market in the Spring Festival holiday this year. And the sales are very popular. Chartered tourist products are fully booked before two months of the holiday. Many tourists are just after seeing the bus advertisements further understanding this beautiful tropical country.

Sri Lanka is modern master of white ball cricket

In their last T20 match for Sri Lanka, the prolific duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena secured their nation its first-ever ICC World T20 title over a dejected India. But it was Sri Lanka’s bowlers who were the architects of the victory.

It is often assumed that T20 is a batsman’s game. But Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga proved how influential, shrewd and precise bowling can be, allowing India just 15 runs from the last three overs. First Yuvraj Singh, then MS Dhoni were unable to get the ball away, crucially denying Virat Kohli the strike and ensuring that India’s final total of 130 was 30 runs too light.

India fought hard with the ball, and took wickets regularly, but without a substantial target to defend, it could never afford a big over, and that came when Thisara Perera and Sangakarra pummelled Amit Mishra’s over, the 15th for 14. Despite being the star of earlier matches,  Mishra’s nerve failed him in the final and his line wavered and his pace erred too much on the fast side. His four overs went for 32 runs. Sangakkara finished 52 not out as he was mobbed by ecstatic teammates. For a man who has given so much to his country, it was the least he deserved.

India could only look on and ponder on what might have been. Their innings began cautiously with just three boundaries in the powerplay. Virat Kohli tried to take the initiative and when he miscued to mid-wicket and was missed by Malinga there were suggestions that the Sri Lanka captain might have dropped the trophy. Kohli made them pay with some classic shots, the pulled drive over long-on, the majestic shots through and over cover, making light of the loss of Rohit and Rahane.

But Yuvraj Singh was struggling at the other end, with just 11 runs off 20 balls, unable even to give the strike to the increasingly impatient Kohli. The crucial over was the 18th, bowled by Malinga, after the off-spinner Senanyake, the most economical bowler in the tournament with his clever variations conceding just 5.2 an over, bowled his final over (the 17th) for just four runs.

Bowling wide and very full, Malinga stopped Yuvraj from hitting to the leg-side, or getting the ball away at all, and Kulasekera did the same bowling wide and full to Kohli in the 19th. When Yuvraj could only miscue a full toss to long-off, departing for 11 off 30 balls (strike rate 57), Dhoni sent himself in, but a brilliant final over from Malinga – getting the ball regularly under his bat outside off-stump, denied him having any impact. The last over went for just seven, and Dhoni, the great finisher managed only four singles from 10 balls.

Kohli had faced just eight balls (from which he made seven runs) in the last four overs. Malinga’s figures of 4-0-27-0 gave little clue to his match-winning influence.

It took the pressure off Sri Lanka’s batsmen, meaning their great runmakers Sangakkara and Jayawardena  could bide their time and play the ball on its merits and see their side home, aided by the big-hitting Thisara Perera with more than two overs to spare. So the country with 1/60th of the population of their powerful opponents finally overcame them in a world final.

Sri Lanka is the original giant killer. It has now lost only one match in its last 16 ODIs and T20s (to England). It is the modern master of white ball cricket.

Sri Pada ("Adam's Peak") Annual Pilgrimage Season

Hatton Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada is an important pilgrim site. The devotees of many religions climb the mountain to invoke blessings. Buddhist believes the impression on the summit is the footprint of the Buddha. Sripada is the 4th highest mountain in Sri Lanka and it takes 4-5 hours to reach the peak by foot. The mountain is also named as Samanala Kanda or Butterfly Mountain. The area is rich in biodiversity and surrounded by the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. The pilgrimage season starts on Unduwap Poya.

The season begins in December and ends in April.

The Hot Air Balloon Festival

The Annual Hot Air Ballooning Festival organized by the Ceylon Air Ship and Balloon Club is held in March in and around Sigiriya, Hambanthota and Colombo with the participation of nearly 40 participants from around the world. The Balloonists follow a path around the country traveling from down south to North-central plains of Sri Lanka and ending in Independence Square in Colombo for final display of the balloons participating in the event.

Blue Water Lily

It is the national flower of Sri Lanka.Nymphaea nouchali is a day-blooming nonviviparous plant with submerged roots and stems. Part of the leaves are submerged, while others rise slightly above the surface. The leaves are round and green on top; they usually have a darker underside. The floating leaves have undulating edges that give them a crenellate appearance. Their size is about 20–23 cm and their spread is 0.9 to 1.8 m

This water lily has a beautiful flower which is usually violet blue in color with reddish edges. Some varieties have white, purple, mauve or fuchsia-colored flowers. The flower has 4-5 sepals and 13-15 petals that have an angular appearance making the flower look star-shaped from above. The cup-like calyx has a diameter of 11–14 cm

In Sri Lanka this plant usually grows in buffalo ponds and natural wetlands. Its beautiful aquatic flower has been mentioned in Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala literary works since ancient times under the names kuvalaya, indhīwara, niluppala, nilothpala and nilupul as a symbol of virtue, discipline and purity. Buddhist lore in Sri Lanka claims that this flower was one of the 108 auspicious signs found on Prince Siddhartha's footprint.It is said that when Buddha died, lotus flowers blossomed everywhere he had walked in his lifetime