Travel

City hotels ready for festive season

By Lalin Fernandopulle

City Hotels are geared to celebrate the festive season on a grand scale with glamour and glitter to entertain holiday makers, said committee member of the City Hotels Association and Past Vice President, Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Amal Goonetileke.

She said occupancy in most of the city hotels are at its peak during the festive season which attracts a large number of visitors from across the globe.

“The country is celebrating its second Christmas after the end of hostilities that cast a gloom over the tourism industry for decades.

A record number of tourists are expected this winter”, Goonetileke said.

City hoteliers said improvement of roads and the drainage system to absorb rain water to prevent recurrence of floods are prerequisite to develop the tourism industry.

“The occupancy rate in Colombo hotels is currently around 80 percent and it would increase to 100 percent in the run up to Christmas. Occupancy in resorts is 100 percent and predominantly by European travellers”, she said.

The tourism industry was the first to benefit from peace dividends and today the industry is fast turning out to be the main foreign exchange earner to the country.

Tourist arrivals have been recording over 50 percent growth during the second half of this year compared to last year and expectations are that by the end of the year arrivals would surpass 600,000.

Earnings from tourism has increased from US$ 50 per night to US$ 80 which is a substantial growth against the low income during the height of turmoil in the country. Global tourism has revived from the lull that was experienced during the peak of the financial crisis.

Sri Lanka Tourism has themed next year as ‘Visit Sri Lanka’, a mega tourism promotion campaign launched this year to position the country as a top destination and woo more visitors to the country. Goonetileke said steps have been taken to promote an event every month during the Visit Sri Lanka year which would increase arrivals and duration of stay.

“Tourists are exploring the country more and are adventurous.There is a shift from sun, sea and sand to nature, culture and adventure tourism”, she said. The East coast popular for wind surfing, whale watching, and scuba diving is a hot spot for travellers flocking in large numbers since easing of restrictions to the location.

“The budget is highly favourable to the promotion of tourism. The tax reductions and encouragement to hoteliers are a boon to the industry”, Goonetileke said.

City hotels are eagerly awaiting to host Christmas and New Year eve dinner dances and to host other gala celebrations during the season. The city would be one bash on the 31st night with excitement and anticipation for the dawn of the new year.

Get to GLF 2011 on a SriLankan air taxi

If you’re planning to be part of January’s Galle Literary Festival(GLF), you can take the new option of getting there. In fact a most exciting option of all.

Fly to Galle, much to the envy of others. Yes, transportation to and from the Galle Literary Festival takes on an excitingly new dimension with SriLankan Air Taxis ferrying writers and visitors to the Southern capital city and back for Galle’s most talked about event.

You can hop on board a SriLankan Air Taxi from Colombo to Galle for the day.

FlySmiles members can redeem miles too on this sector.

What’s more ... you also get a complimentary Day-Pass from SriLankan Air Taxis to the Galle Literary Festival on the day of your flight.

Taking off from Colombo, your flight will cruise at an altitude of 1500 to 3000 feet above sea level along Sri Lanka’s Western coastline.

Along the way it’s all yours to enjoy Colombo’s fast changing skyline from Moratuwa, Panadura to the sacred city Kalutara with its famed Bo Tree and Dagoba, where river meets sea.

You pass the Fisheries Harbour at Beruwela and swoop over scenic golden beaches of Bentota with its necklace of hotels dotting the coastline. Your final destination will be Koggala - deep in the Martin Wickremasinghe country - which evokes vivid images of ‘Madol Duwa’ and ‘Gamperaliya’, classics of Sri Lankan literature and immortalised in film by the doyen of Sri Lanka Dr. Lester James Peries.

Tony Tyler next IATA DG/CEO

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that its Board of Governors has selected Tony Tyler, CEO of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, in an unanimous decision to fill the post of IATA Director General and CEO following the retirement of the current Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, next year.

The Board will recommend Tyler’s appointment to IATA’s Annual General Meeting planned for 6-8 June in Cairo, Egypt. Tyler’s duties as the Association’s head are scheduled to commence July 1.

“The IATA Board agreed to recommend Tony Tyler as the next Director General and CEO of IATA. Tony’s leadership of Cathay Pacific through challenging times prepares him well for the job.

His knowledge of Asia will help IATA take advantage of opportunities in the industry’s largest market. And his global experience gives Tony the right perspective for our global association.

Since taking the helm of IATA in 2002, Giovanni rebuilt the association, restored its relevance and set a very high benchmark for its leadership. Finding a successor was a challenging task for the Board’s search committee.

We are absolutely confident that Tony is the right person to take the association to even greater heights,” said CEO of FedEx Express and Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors David Bronczek.

“The confidence of my industry colleagues in recommending me for this position is a great honour.

I am excited at the prospect of leading IATA and fully mindful of the responsibility that this important position bears. Giovanni has made IATA’s role critical to the industry by successfully managing IATA’s $300 billion financial systems while delivering important industrywide changes.

These include making IATA a quality association with the IATA Operational Safety Audit, delivering 100 percent e-ticketing with the Simplifying the Business initiative and IATA’s leadership on climate change.

I look forward to the opportunity to build on this solid foundation. Aviation is a dynamic industry.

We constantly have to adapt to changing market conditions, new business models, different traffic patterns and frequent crises.

I am fully prepared to lead future changes to help all participants in this great industry be even more successful,” said Tyler.

Tyler, 55, has been Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific since 2007. He joined the Swire Group, parent company of Cathay Pacific, in 1977 and has worked with the group in Hong Kong, Australia, the Philippines, Canada, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom.

He is also Chairman of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited and Director of both John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and Swire Pacific Limited.

From June 2009 to June 2010, Tyler served as Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors.

“Tony is a great recommendation to lead IATA. His deep knowledge of Asia will help position IATA to deliver even greater leadership in this important region. David Bronczek, I am also confident that the global respect gained during his successful tenure as IATA Chairman in 2009-10 positions him well to fulfill IATA’s mission to represent, lead and serve equally all of our 230 members.

After nearly 10 years of crises, challenges and change, I will look forward with confidence to handing over the reins of IATA’s leadership to Tony in July. Until then, I remain fully committed to leading IATA as it strives to make the industry safer, greener and more profitable,” said Bisignani.

Bisignani is the fifth IATA Director General and CEO since the Association’s founding in 1945.

Tourism receives boost with launch of CHC

Sri Lanka tourism received a fresh boost with the launch of Comfort Health Care (CHC) Sri Lanka in partnership with Comfort Health Care, India, a reputed medical tourism services provider.

Medical tourism is a niche market in tourist destinations in Asia due to the yearning for indigenous and nature-friendly healthcare among Western travellers.

Asia is home to some of the world’s best medical treatment and healthcare facilities provided at a low cost. Ayurveda, acupuncture and yoga meditation to name a few had its birth in the region.

Director, CHC India, P. Varadan said healthcare tourism is booming in India and it will soon be a US$ 12 billion industry in the country. Medical facilities in India have expanded following the boom in private sector healthcare.

CHC Sri Lanka will provide comprehensive end to end service from second opinions to sourcing the right medical facilities, arranging visas, organising travel and accommodation and aftercare services.

Chairman, CHC Sri Lanka, Manilal Fernando said the new venture aims at providing quality healthcare which is not available in the country at an affordable cost to the middle class.

Medical experts are of the view that Sri Lanka should develop its healthcare and stop the drain of foreign exchange to other countries.Treatment in India is less costly compared to Singapore where it is exorbitantly high.

CHC Sri Lanka’s specialised treatments include gamma knife, cyber knife, PET CT Scans, CT Scan 128 Slice, transplants, cancer treatment, cardiology, orthopaedics, eye and vision, dental, cosmetics, spinal and back, weight loss treatment and assisted reproduction.

Consultant, Dr. Manil Fernando said the company’s extensive vendor relations are carefully cultivated and include airlines, hotel chains, serviced apartments, car rental companies, local tour services, housekeeping, foreign exchange and visa services all provided at no cost to the patient.

LF

The 12 days of Christmas with Jetwing Hotels

Instead of the run of the mill partridge in a pear tree the first day of Christmas can be spent with Jetwing Vil Uyana, Jetwing Beach, Jetwing Lighthouse, Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions, Jetwing Hunas Falls or at Jetwing St. Andrew’s where the 12 Days of Christmas will kick off with a bang.

Throughout Jetwing’s franchise of hotels in Sri Lanka this holiday season will be a festive celebration of carols, nativities, games and of course superb food. Christmas with Jetwing will not be relegated to the 25th of December but will follow the tradition of Christmastide - the 12 Days of Christmas.

Jetwing Hotels will deck their halls in red, green, yellow and blue this year as they prepare for a distinctively Jetwing-centric Christmas that is both global as well as Sri Lankan.

At Jetwing Lighthouse Galle, overlooking the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, one can kick off the first day of Christmas with a Family Christmas party which will include gifts for the children, decorating the Christmas tree, music and games.

If you are far away from the tempting seas of the south coast and instead amidst the mountainous peaks of the Central hill country, Jetwing St. Andrews will provide you with the unusual mix of Christmas carols and a Mexican dinner minus the traditional two turtle doves that generally symbolise the second day of Christmas.

The sun-kissed beaches of Negombo will play host to an idyllically tropical Christmas at Jetwing Beach. Christmas Eve at Jetwing Beach would include a seven course dinner and jazz music by Rex and the Jazz Dynamos. This perfect night will be topped off with a display of fireworks which will herald the dawn of Christmas Day.

Jetwing Vil Uyana situated just 5km from Sigirya, the 8th wonder of the World, will celebrate Christmas Day with a scrumptious brunch. While Boxing Day will be an assortment of Indian kebabs, Italian wine and Oriental music that will fuse eastern and western tastes together. It will be an ideal setting for family and friends.

Christmas is a season that upholds goodwill to all mankind; love and joy being symbolic of this holiday season.

Jetwing Hotels recognises the importance of the spirit of giving and sharing during the season and ensures that their twelve days of Christmas are not just about bringing joy to their guests but also about sharing that joy with the less fortunate.

All Jetwing Hotels will ensure that they dedicate one day to charity.

Jetwing St. Andrew’s will spend the eleventh day of Christmas at the Painters’ Home for Children where they will present a cash donation and host the children to tea and snacks.