Travel / Lifestyle

SLTB drive to promote Lanka for films

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) will promote Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for film locations to boost tourism activities through the entertainment industry.

The SLTB initiated the mega tourism promotional activity by participating in the 'Cinemascapes' Bollywood show which set the platform for world renowned film and television producers to meet and network with tourism officials, travel organisations, hotels, airlines, destinations and film locations.

Director Marketing, SLTB Malraj Kiriella said the SLTB targets the multi-dimensional film industry which has a huge potential to boost tourism in the country.

He said Sri Lanka offers a wide variety of locations about which the award winning film director, Sir Carol Reed said," The whole of Sri Lanka is a film set".

To promote tourism the SLTB launched its new slogan 'Sri Lanka: The ideal film location destination' and an audio-visual CD with information on filming in Sri Lanka.

The SLTB with the National Film Corporation and other key stakeholders in the industry will facilitate operations when film producers decide to commence shooting in locations.

Transportation, film equipment and production needs will be provided to ensure smooth operations, Kiriella said.

Many international films including Carol Reed's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Outcast of the Islands", John and Bo Derek's version of the "Tarzan the ape man", Davis Lean's ' Bridge on the River Kwai', to Steven Speilberg's 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' and the recent 'Jungle Book', 'Mother Theresa' and Deepa Mehta's controversial film 'Water' have been shot in Sri Lanka.

Cinemascapes was organised by SATTE, a leading organiser with the Film and Television Producers Guild, the apex cinema body of India which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the revenue generated from the entertainment industry. India is the foremost contributor to Sri Lanka tourism with over 91, 464 arrivals in August registering a growth of 25.4 per cent compared to the corresponding figures in 2005.

India is a potential market for tourism in Sri Lanka and the anticipated 130,000 arrivals for this year will be a record.

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SriLankan Air Taxi flies to Colombo

SriLankan Air Taxi now offers passengers the ultimate in convenience, with flights from the heart of the capital city, within minutes of Colombo's hotels and business districts.

"We now operate our amphibious Turbo Otter aircraft from the Kelani River, which is a very short drive from Fort, Kollupitiya and the rest of the city. We have no doubt that this service will be of immense benefit to tourists, businessmen and other travellers on their way to any part of the country," said General Manager, SriLankan Holidays Amith Sumanapala.

Passengers board the aircraft at Air Taxi's landing dock at Mattakkuliya, Colombo 15 en route to any of 16 destinations around the island - Kandy (two sites), Bentota, Nuwara Eliya, Hingurakgoda, Galle (Koggala), Weerawila, Ampara (two sites), Katunayake, Ratmalana, Trincomalee, Katukurunda, Sigiriya, Dickwella and Anuradhapura.

"We also offer greater convenience for passengers arriving and departing from the Bandaranaike International Airport. For example, a passenger arriving on a long flight from Europe or the Far East can save himself the 1 1/2 hour road trip to Colombo by boarding the Air Taxi," said Sumanapala. "It's also within hailing distance of suburbs such as Kelaniya, Kadawatha, Peliyagoda and Wattala."

The Air Taxi already operates to both of Colombo's airports - the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake and the Colombo Airport in Ratmalana.

Go Holidays introduces Saga cruises

Go Holidays (Pvt) Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of United Ventures (Pvt) Limited) has introduced Saga Cruises in Sri Lanka. The Saga group focuses exclusively on the provision of high quality, value-for-money services for people 50 and over.

This includes holidays to worldwide destinations including cruises on their own ships, an award-winning magazine, insurance and financial products, and radio stations. The Group is based at Folkestone, in the United Kingdom.

Saga has been a major cruise retailer for 30 years and currently operates three cruise ships of their own, the Saga Rose, the Spirit of Adventure and the Saga Ruby which began cruising under the Saga flag in March 2005.

Their dedicated cruise product is proving highly successful at a time when other cruise companies are targeting a younger market with larger ships and a more informal product.

Saga Rose is dedicated entirely to serving older passengers, from its itineraries, entertainment, food and service, to the elegant, sophisticated and generous public spaces onboard.

The cruise package on offer by Go Holidays is aboard the Saga Rose and sails via Singapore, Port Kelang, and Colombo.

Titled "The splendors of Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka" this cruise proves to be the ideal rest and relaxation get away for those 50 and above. The departure date for this cruise is Saturday, March 24, 2007 and departs from Singapore.

Saga Ruby shares many of her sister ship's much-admired qualities and is being designed with a touch of contemporary grandeur. Saga Ruby also cruises to Canada and the USA.