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| Sunday, 4 September 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Tourism industry can gain from Kafirinja and Lancers dances by Elmo Leonard The tourism industry could gainfully exploit the theatrical dances of the Kafirinja and the Lancers which came into the country with the Portuguese 500 years ago and still lives on with the descendants of those seafarers who occupy parts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu, Kalmunai and Akkaraipattu, in the east and Jaffna in the north of the island.
The Kafirinja and Lancers are performed by four in a group, and both have five parts in their dances. They also have their traditional music and songs chaperoned by violins, guitars and drums. Even some of the baila they sing are original Portuguese compositions and the new creations are woven with English, Tamil and Sinhala words. The people of the east long to get a glimpse of these dances and hear their songs, performed at their wedding ceremonies. The hospitality industry could also maximise on the traditional foods these people prepare. For instance, dhopa is a delicious dish of fish served in their homes. These Burghers of the east made a few types of sweets and sold the products at their homes before the tsunami struck. But the Daily News cookery book has hundreds of recipes of Portuguese and Dutch foods and many of them could be turned out for commercial purposes, they say. ############# Elephant Corridor - the bliss of solitude by Jayampathy Jayasinghe It is a five-hour journey by coach to reach the Elephant Corridor from Colombo with a brief stop over at the Ambepussa Rest House for tea. But for tourists arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) the fastest way to get there is by helicopter. A helipad had been built for that purpose to airlift visitors from any part of Sri Lanka.
The Elephant Corridor is in a desolate piece of land adjacent to a State forest reserve at Sigiriya. It'is unique because it is isolated from a township. There aren't any other buildings to be seen close by. The hotel is secluded to ensure that guests are not disturbed during their stay. Many foreign guests pay a princely sum to stay overnight. A spokesman for the hotel said that a Presidential suite is sold around US $ 1000 per night. Other deluxe rooms are priced at US dollars 635 to US Dollars 375. Situated in a gorgeous natural setting in a 200 - acre land overlooking a wilderness of green foliage, the solid rock fortress of Sigiriya can be viewed from the hotel. You begin to notice the difference as soon as you arrive there. What you see there is totally different to what you experience in any other hotel, the absolute calmness. There is calmness in the air. Vehicles carrying guests are not allowed to be driven right to the doorstep. Instead the vehicles stop half way and guests are transferred by a golf cart that takes them right up to the hotel doorstep. The baggage too is taken care of and brought to the reception. In every sense what you see and experience looks different. You hardly see guests milling around the lobby area, the coffee shop or for that matter near the swimming pool. There is an aura of something special about the place. Legend has it that the whole area is under the protection of the "Minneriya God". According to history the land had belonged to princess Upuladevi who was the architect of the Sigiriya rock and all that encompass it. She was the sister of King Kassyapa. The million dollar question is why do guests pay such a fancy price to check into a hotel that is tucked away in a remote corner of the country. Well the answer is quite simple. It is because the guests want to be left severely alone away from the hustle and bustle of city life. To them solitude is sweet and that's why they are willing to pay US Dollars 1000 for a night. The buzz word there is quietness. There are few honeymoon suites which are sold around US Dollars 665 for a night. The rooms contain a built in baby pool within the confines of the four walls. It was amusing to see a spacious bed in a honeymoon suite with a mirror on top to view your body reflections. Every room has a built in baby pool for guests to dip in whenever they wish. The Elephant Corridor consists of 20 Chalet type luxury residences owned by Sierra Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. Sierra's Chairman Frank Irugalbandara said the company plans to build Scottish type villas in a 2,000 - acre plot at Nuwara Eliya. ############## Austrian to operate thrice weekly flights from Summer 2006 Austrian Airlines which currently operates one flight a week from Vienna to Colombo along with Lauda Air, will increase operations of direct Austrian Airlines flights starting April 2006. Rajitha Seneviratne, Director/General Manager of Browns Tours Ltd. General Sales Agents for Austrian Airlines, who is also Manager Sri Lanka Austrian Airlines, said that from November 2005 Austrian Airlines will commence operating twice weekly scheduled flights with the possibility of it increasing to three flights a week. "However, effective April 2006 we can confirm that scheduled Austrian Airlines flights will operate thrice weekly on the Vienna/Colombo/Male/Vienna route," "This thrice weekly operation will continue through the whole of 2006." Seneviratne said that Austrian Airlines will operate Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft with a capacity to carry 235 passengers in Economy class and 24 in Business Class. "This would open a whole lot of options for passengers looking for fast and easy travel to Europe and beyond, utilising a carrier which is known for comfort and efficiency," Seneviratne said. "While Vienna itself offers a range of exciting options for visitors who would like to experience the elegance and ambience of the city's beautiful architecture and music, practically speaking Vienna offers the shortest connection time in Europe." "Our flights which are all daylight departures, reach Vienna at 6.00 p.m and connections are by 7.00 p.m. with the actual time needed to transit being just half an hour." |
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