With the end of the conflict in May last year, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has entered a prosperous era by attracting more tourists from all parts of the world including people from the Middle East and Saudi Arabia.
Tourism is currently Sri Lanka’s sixth highest income-earner. With the end of the three-decade civil war, further growth in returns and economic development is projected. Following the consolidation of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the tourism industry, and the establishment of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) in September 2006, Sri Lanka Tourism is well set to maximize the opportunities present, and yield high returns. An important division of the Tourism Ministry, SLTPB’s mission is to inspire, build and deliver ‘Sri Lanka Tourism’ to be a key driver of Sri Lanka’s economic growth.
SLTPB hopes to enrich the incomes of industry stakeholders and benefit the community by pursuing excellence. Strong investment and focused attention on marketing and reaching high yield markets, particularly the youth market, in countries such as UK, India, Middle East, Germany, Japan and China will drive the SLTPB forward. The SLTPB will pursue a major public relations drive that will strive to promote and build the country’s image.
The tourist traffic from the Kingdom has doubled following the end of the conflict in the island. Saudi tourists are regularly visiting Sri Lanka for their family holiday. Abdullah, a Saudi tourist, who was holidaying in a beach resort in Bentota told Arab News that his family came to the island for a week’s stay and he and his family were so entranced by the natural beauty of Sri Lanka, that he extended his holiday by another week.
Asked to comment about the island, a Saudi journalist who returned to the Kingdom after a week’s stay in Sri Lanka, said: “ I simply do not know why I came back!”
Every visitor to this fair isle makes sure he repeats his visit with the members of his family. Sri Lankans know no word for “goodbye.” Thus, when the time comes to leave the Lankan shores, they will not bid farewell, but invite the guests to return — again and again.
Sri Lanka is a land of smiling people, where people are welcomed with their traditional greetings “Ayubowan” — “May you have the gift of long life!”
From the early centuries, it has captivated visitors like Ibn Batuta, Omar Pasha and lately space scientist professor Arthur C. Clark who opted to spend the rest of his life in Sri Lanka. Travelers including ancient mariners and merchants to modern astronauts and business people have been seduced by the tantalizing beauty of the colors and costumes of this land that according to Mark Twain were “all harmonious, all in perfect taste.”
Arab traders who visited the island built several mosques in the island. Their first mosque, Abrar, stands as a monument of their influence in Beruwela, a Muslim town 40km from Colombo. Today’s Sri Lanka beckons visitors to enjoy the nation’s glittering tapestry of culture and the rich abundance of nature so handsomely gathered, to give credence to the old adage — “that good things come in small packages.”
Sri Lanka’s archaeological treasures of palaces and pagodas bear testimony to a civilization that spanned the golden age of Periclean Greece, the Roman Empire, Mayan citadels and Napoleonic grandeur. The resultant legacy is a culture embellished by the more recent influences of Western colonizers and Eastern traders, producing a mercurial mix of races and religions, arts and crafts, festivals and costumes that enchant the visitors with its exquisite variety. Sri Lanka’s classic tropical location in the Indian Ocean gives it pleasant weather throughout the year with sunshine and rain. Landscape is incomparably lovely with verdant, lush lowlands, cascading waterfalls, azure seas, sandy beaches, abundant wildlife, riot of flowers and fruits, coconut groves, spice gardens and tea estates.
Ringing the island are miles of uncluttered white sandy beaches where sun-seekers and fun-seekers are caressed by gentle ocean breezes. Sri Lanka was affected by the tsunami in December 2004. However, the industry bounced back recording half a million tourists by the end of 2005. The current year arrivals are expected to exceed the previous year’s numbers. The target is to receive one million tourists by 2010.
Rising amid spectacular waterfalls to its shrouded peaks is the central hill regions — home to world famous “Pure Ceylon Tea” gardens and the legendary gem mines that produce sapphires, rubies and a dozen other gems.
As you travel from the lowland plains to the highlands in air-conditioned coach or car, a panorama of people at work or play unfolds. Roads share space with cars, carts, bikes, bullocks and even elephants.
The roadside is vibrant with life and the lush landscape presents a palette of changing colors. Pause if you would, at wayside markets, handicraft shops or batik factories or stop to watch craftsmen at work, gems being mined, tea leaves being picked, elephants being bathed in rivers or fishermen on stilts.
No trip to Sri Lanka would be complete without a visit to a hill country tea plantation, of course.
Nuwara Eliya is known as the Little England of Sri Lanka not only because of its cool climate — temperatures can get as low as 11°C — but also because of its decidedly English look. At almost 2,000m above sea level, getting to the town is an adventure in itself. There are magnificent views of mountains, valleys and waterfalls along the way.
Nuwara Eliya town, which has become the favorite tourist resort for Saudi tourists, is a charming place with some attractive old buildings, such as the post office; there is also the Nanu Oya railway station, which was built in the middle of the 1870s, and the Gymkhana Race Course, which was taken over by the Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) Turf Club in 1900.
Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens located in the vicinity of the hill town of Kandy draws more than 25,000 visitors a day. The almost 60ha gardens were established in 1374 as a pleasure garden for the ancient kings of Gampola and Kandy. Today, there are more than 4,000 species of trees, plants and creepers, some of which are very rare.
Colombo, the main point of entry, is a bustling metropolis of big businesses and small bazaars while Kandy, the last royal citadel, is the cultural center where the popular cultural pageants are held in July every year.
The western coastline from Negombo, north of the Colombo International Airport, to Hambantota, in the south, shelters a string of magnificent beach resorts and quaint fishing villages. At the extreme south of the island is Yala and in the heart of the island is the Wilpattu national parks. They are sanctuaries to wild elephants, leopards, bear, deer and a host of other fauna and flora.
Two of Sri Lanka’s renowned wildlife sanctuary sites were reopened on Saturday after years of closure because of the conflict between the government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels, a government official said. Ananda Wijesuriya, director of the Wildlife Conservation Department said the two sites were opened to the public on Saturday were located at southeastern and eastern parts of the island.
Kumana, a bird sanctuary and a main eco-tourism attraction, is 312 km southeast of the Colombo while Lahugala, a wildlife park/ sanctuary reserve, is 318 km east of the capital. “After the end of the war we received security clearance,” Wijesuriya said.
Cities and resorts cater to visitors, with hotels ranging from the luxury five star class international chain properties to the much more moderate-budget apartments. Most hotels offer culinary extravaganza to pamper guests with a variety of cuisine from the East and the West, as well as local dishes that reflect the elastic tastes of sea-farers, invaders and traders that came ashore over the centuries.
SriLankan Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines operate regular flights to Colombo from all three international gateways of the Kingdom. Sri Lanka’s national carrier operates flights to Colombo on Monday and Wednesday from Riyadh, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from Dhahran and on Tuesday and Friday from Jeddah. These flights offer convenient connections from Colombo to major Indian cities as well as to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Far Eastern countries.