Sri Lanka rises in the ranks for international travelers

Sri Lanka has been ranking as one of the top 5 destinations to visit in the world over the past three years from the likes of Conde Nast, National Geographic, and the New York Times, to name a few.

Sri Lanka has been ranking as one of the top 5 destinations to visit in the world over the past three years from the likes of Conde Nast, National Geographic, and the New York Times, to name a few. This year it was named as the world’s no. 1 destination to visit in the year 2013 by Lonely Planet.

Sri Lanka is about 4 ยฝ hours flying time away from the main cities in the Gulf region and Southeast Asia, and is positioned halfway on the major trade routes between Europe and the Far East, making the island of Sri Lanka a rapidly-developing prime tourism destination.

Set in the Indian Ocean in South Asia, this tropical island nation offers travelers endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, herds of elephants, killer surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea, flavorful food, 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, newly-gained peace, and improved infrastructure. It is an island of magical proportions, once known as Serendib, Taprobane, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, and Ceylon.

With the end of the three-decade-long war, Sri Lanka is seeing a sudden burst in infrastructure development and of a new Sri Lanka rising. Along with an island-wide road development program, work is being done on a rural electrification program, rehabilitation of the railway network, as well as port and airport development which is creating the potential for Sri Lanka to become a key transport and tourist/transit hub for Asia.

The completion of the Hambantota Port and the Colombo Southport Expansion will increase the capacity to take advantage of the countryโ€™s strategic location on the major international shipping lanes, and the second international airport at Mattala increases the potential for handling increased tourist arrivals and positioning Sri Lanka as a transit hub. Today, Sri Lankaโ€™s Bandranaike International Airport handles more than 6 million passengers per year, and Hambantota International airport in Mattala opened in March of this year. Domestic airports are also scattered around the country in Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Ratmalana, Jaffna, Trincomalee, andWirawila creating an extensive network of domestic air traveling.

Sri Lanka is also fast gaining popularity in the MICE tourism industry, with 11% of the total visitors coming into the country representing the segment, while the industry anticipates the arrival of 240,000 MICE tourists by 2016, which is nearly 10% of the 2.5 million tourist target. With more than one million tourist arrivals in 2012 the Sri Lankan tourism service providers has set a target of 22,500 rooms in the next five years when tourist arrivals are expected to reach 2.5 million.

Keeping in step with the flow of the tourism tides, Centara Hotels and Resorts recognizes the growth and popularity of Sri Lanka and has come up with an attractive package to promote Sri Lankaโ€™s east coast tourism towards international travelers. Centara has launched a Meet Sri Lanka fly-and-stay deal summer package at the newly-opened Centara Passikudah Resort & Spa Sri Lanka which is set next to the beach at Passikudah Bay, along a stretch of coastline renowned for its calm and shallow waters, ideal for swimming and water sports. The resort, which is on the east side of the island, is designed for couples and families alike, and includes a Spa Cenvaree, an oversized swimming pool overlooking the beach, and a supervised Kidsโ€™ Club that has separate zones for the young ones and the teens. Further information is available at http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/Meet-Sri-Lanka .

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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