Travel / Lifestyle

A new experience will woo more tourists

Tourism and nature are interdependent while the tourist who visits Sri Lanka would like to experience a difference, therefore think differently and give them a whole new experience which will attract them to the country, said Prof. Sarath Kotagama of the University of Colombo.

Make sure that it is Sri Lankan, but it does not have to be expensive. Make a change, Sell Sri Lanka. Don't serve them a buffet meal, a simple meal of rice and curry with mallung and yams. Herbal drinks will be loved by all.

Prof. Kotagama was addressing a seminar on tourism organised by the Responsible Tourism Partnership Sri Lanka.

He said talk about the endemic species, the four different monkeys in the country, diversity of cultures, change of climate during 4-5 hours, about the birds and plants, trekking nature tours as well as water games.

Sri Lanka despite its small size is endowed with the world's tenth richest biodiversity. Of the 86 species of mammals found in the country 16 are endemic to the island and the pride of place goes to the majestic elephant.

The country also is home to 242 species of butterflies 14 of which are endemic. These are special features of our country which can be promoted to attract visitors to the country.

He said to develop the tourism industry there are many challenges that we have to overcome. Among them the main challenge is being indigenous. Tourists don't visit Sri Lanka to visit a spa.

We always give them what they would like to experience and are not having back home. An Ayurvedic massage, oil therapy, this is what is indigenous to us, Sri Lankans.

Prof. Kotagama called upon those engaged in the hospitality industry to be a little bit more caring and proactive. This will help the country to market it better, he said.

Overcome ignorance don't use wallpaper to cover a wall just keep it rough and they will like it. "Small things go a long way but think twice before you act," he said.

Change the past as we need a genuine change to reap the full benefits of tourism for the benefit of our country he said.

(SG)

SriLankan Holidays offers travel agents Online Booking

SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines launched "TradeNet" - an innovative all-in-one online quotation and booking engine for its holiday package, hotel reservations and car hire products.

'Trade Net' will be available only to selected travel agents, who will have immediate access to the on-line booking system and the range of SriLankan Holiday offers.

SriLankan Holidays' General Manager Amith Sumanapala said "Our partner agents will have the flexibility to make real time instant quotations, book or amend hotel reservations, tailor-made holiday packages, arrange airport transfers and also communicate direct with SriLankan Holidays."

Sumanapala said that "Our customers can now just walk into any SriLankan Airlines ticket office in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, or any one of our partner agents and obtain instant quotations and immediately confirmed bookings."

The 'TradeNet' booking engine will firstly commence with holiday packages to Dubai and other exciting destinations will be progressively introduced. Travel agents locally and globally will have the freedom to book hotels in any of the airlines, 49 destinations.

The fully developed 'TradeNet' system will also support printable on-line service vouchers, allowing agents to complete the end-to-end transaction of quotations, confirmations, payments and all documentation electronically.

Resumption of direct flights from Kathmandu to Colombo hailed

The Sri Lanka Nepal Business Council has commended the decision by the Cabinet Ministers of Nepal to commence four direct flights from Kathmandu to Colombo. This was made known by the Nepali Tourism Minister recently.

This Council has over the years highlighted the lack of direct flights as a severe constraint to many travellers who were also required to spend more time in reaching Nepal.

It not only affected Buddhist pilgrims who form the bulk of those travelling to Nepal but also tourists and business travellers. Yet another segment affected were the students who undergo education in the Universities in Nepal.

Thus the resumption of direct flights is a potentially beneficial development to many. It also seems to coincide with the abatement of hostilities and civil unrest in Nepal. The return of a more stable climate for economic activities together with the availability of direct travel will also help the promotion of regional tourism.

In this connection the international traveller could also take note of the new tourism plan launched by the Nepal Tourist Board in April last which carries with it a novel package that is likely to help the tourism drive in Nepal significantly.

Such developments from an overall South Asian perspective of trade and industrial Co-operation is likely to be the launch pad to the forging of closer economic ties.

Also with the tariff concessions and an increasingly liberalised environment becoming a reality within the SAARC region easy travel should be an encouragement for the Sri Lankan and Nepali business communities to explore markets and seek tie-ups.

"This Council is happy that a concrete and useful step has been taken to restart direct flights between Sri Lanka and Nepal. As a result of it we could confidently forecast regeneration of travel, business and trade between our two countries and as a spin off of these developments, facilitation of trade and industrial expansion in the region."

Emirates SkyCargo felicitates Lankan freight companies

Emirates SkyCargo has felicitated 10 of Sri Lanka's leading freight companies for their consistent patronage which led to the introduction of a weekly freighter service between Colombo and Dubai.

These companies, which provided cargo for the first Emirates SkyCargo Airbus A310 freighter flight out of Colombo on July 8, were presented with 'First Freighter Flight Certificates' at a cocktail reception hosted by Emirates SkyCargo at the Ceylon Continental Hotel.

Emirates Cargo Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives Damian Jayasuriya said: "Emirates SkyCargo is committed to Sri Lanka's freight market in the long term, and the launch of a freighter service is a demonstration of this commitment." He said Emirates SkyCargo has grown into a major force in the Sri Lankan market, and responded to the market's need for higher capacity with freighter flights in July and August this year.

"When demand in the market justifies the operation of freighter flights, Emirates SkyCargo is ready to cater to the demand," he said.

The recipients of the 10 First Freighter Flight Certificates from Emirates SkyCargo were Aramex Airbone Corporation, Bax Global (Pvt) Ltd., Capitol AEI (Pvt) Ltd., Dart Express (Pvt) Ltd., Expolanka Freight Ltd., Hemas International Freight (Pvt) Ltd., J.P. Fresh (Pvt) Ltd., Scanwell Logistics (Pvt) Ltd., Tropic Frozen (Pvt) Ltd., and UTI Pership (Pvt) Ltd.