Travel

Flydubai from June 23

Flydubai, Dubai's first low cost airline, will fly to Colombo from June 23 four times a week. CEO of Flydubai, Ghaith Al Ghaith said "Colombo is a vital point connecting the Middle-East to South-East Asia.

We see huge potential in the region and are pleased to bring our low fares to Sri Lanka.

This is our third flight announcement in the Indian sub-continent and we are committed to offering the Flydubai traveller an increasing network of destinations.

June 23, will be perfect timing for Sri Lankans wanting to return home to celebrate the Vel festival in July.

Much like Sri Lanka, Dubai is the ultimate family-friendly holiday destination.

Besides world-class attractions, there is something for everyone, and we look forward to welcoming more travellers from Sri Lanka on board Flydubai. This, combined with the large number of Sri Lankan expatriates living and working in Dubai, means there will be a significant demand for our flights.

There is much more to Dubai than shopping and the city recently celebrated the opening of the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, housing the world's first Armani hotel.

The new service, FZ 556, will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, departing Colombo at 0210 hrs and arriving in Dubai at 0510 hrs local time the following day.

The return flight, FZ 555, will operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday departing Dubai at 1855 hrs and arriving in Colombo at 0110 hrs local time.

With bookings open, travellers will be able to purchase flights on Flydubai's website (flydubai.com), through the local call centre (+ 94 11 473 2485) and from travel agents.

The Flydubai model is simple, with customers paying only for the services they want to receive.

The ticket price includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage, weighing up to 10kg, per passenger.

Passengers have the option to purchase checked-in baggage in advance at just LKR 1900 for the first piece, weighing up to 32kgs, subject to availability.

Checked baggage at the airport is also strictly subject to availability and passengers are advised to book online early to secure the space, as only pre-purchased baggage can be guaranteed.

A nominal payment of LKR 3200 would allow customers to select their seat with extra legroom positions.

Bookings can be changed for a small fee, plus any difference in the fare, and food and drink can be purchased on board.

Indian ministers on Ramayana Trail

Text and pic by Beverly Jansz

A section of the VVIPs with Economic Development Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane at the reception held at Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.

Creating a new India-Sri Lanka relationship, ten high profile Indian ministers arrived in Sri Lanka last week.

They arrived with a group of Indian pilgrims on a 8-day Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka. The Indian ministers and pilgrims were accorded a warm welcome at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.

This is the first time that an Indian VVIP Group is undertaking a 8-day pilgrimage on the Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka visiting over 60 legendary sites out of 52 already identified associated with the Rama-Sita-epic.

The group comprising 150 visitors was initiated by the Ashok Vatika Darhshan Yathra Samiti of New Delhi.

With Sri Lanka blessed with peace we are inaugurating our Ramayana Trail pilgrims tour in collaboration with Sanjay Kaushik of Vikas Travels of New Delhi under the aegis of Swami Ajai Bhaj Ji, a high priest said, Chairman Bernard Tours and Travels (Pvt) Ltd Anjelo Mendis, who brought in the group from India.

Switch-Asia takes Eco-Tourism to Negombo

The preliminary seminar of the Switch-Asia Project was held in Negombo on May 25 at the Paradise Beach Hotel with the participation of small and medium scale hoteliers in Negombo.

Of the forty hotels who met the selection criteria to take part in the seminar, seventy percent of the hoteliers were present with their engineers and were enthusiastic about the deliverables introduced by the project.

Small and medium sector hoteliers participate in the seminar held in Negombo.

President of the Negombo Hoteliers Association Deva Peter welcomed the participants.

This was followed by a presentation by Project Director CCC Solutions Srilal Miththapala who spoke about the project and the benefits which could be gained through energy, water and waste management practices.

Senior Environmental Specialist attached to the Switch-Asia Greening Hotels Project Prof. Niranjanie Ratnayake spoke about Water Conservation and Environmental Management and Head of Energy Efficient Systems of Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority Chamila Jayasekara spoke about Energy Management and Conservation.

Industrial Technical Services Manager, Saliya Jayasekara shared his experiences on Optimising Energy Efficiency and Sustainability of Natural Resources of hotels across the island.

The Switch-Asia Project funded by the European Commission aims to enhance the environmental performance of Small and Medium Scale Hotels in Sri Lanka. The Project will assist the key beneficiaries in Water, Energy and Waste Management efficiencies and aims at increasing the market acceptance of these players by promoting them as Green Hotels with a low carbon footprint.

The Project is being implemented by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce with the participation of its partners, Responsible Tourism Partnership (RTP), Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), Institute of Environmental Professionals of Sri Lanka (IEPSL) and The Travel Foundation of United Kingdom.

Arrangements have been made to conduct the second seminar for hoteliers in the South.

Oman Air voted third Most Improved Airline of the Year

Oman Air was named the third Most Improved Airline at the 2010 World Airline Awards in Hamburg recently.

The airline was also commended on its significant and rapid product transformation, following the introduction of the new Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, new interiors, new seating, state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, and the world's first combined mobile phone and Wi-Fi internet connectivity, in addition to the launching of a wide range of new routes across the Middle East, Europe and Asia.