Elephant Reach bags 'Best Wildlife Resort' award

Lanka Hotels and Resorts will embark on an aggressive campaign to tap the Indian and Chinese markets which account for a major share of Sri Lanka's tourism arrivals and revenue, Elephant Reach Yala General Manager Nilantha Rupasinghe said.

Elephant Reach Yala, a property of Lanka Hotels and Resorts was presented the 'Best Wildlife Resort International 2015' Award by the Lonely Planet Magazine, India recently.

Elephant Reach is the first Sri Lankan hotel to be recognised by Lonely Planet Magazine Travel Award 2015. Lonely Planet Magazine Editor Vardhan Kondvikar said the Lonely Planet Magazine Travel Awards have been firmly established as the best industry measure of what travellers love. Feedback from travellers and guests at the hotels play a pivotal role in the decision-making process.

Managing Director, Elephant Reach Hotel, Malinga Fernando said, "We have always been confident of our service standards due to the continuous focus on training and motivating the team and the feedback obtained from guests.

Rupasinghe said the achievement is not only a victory for the company but also for the country as it gives publicity and positions the country in the Indian tourism map. India is a large market which we need to exploit and enhance revenue to the country. We are on an aggressive marketing drive to lure in more Indian and Chinese travellers to Sri Lanka and in particular to Yala, a must visit destination for travellers."

The award to Elephant Reach Hotel will help woo in more Indian travellers to the country and promote wild life tourism which is a key segment of discerning travellers.

We hope to increase the number of hotel rooms from the current 35 in the near future to cater to the increasing number of visitors to the Elephant Reach which records over a 65 percent occupancy rate," Rupasinghe said.Currently the hotel's occupancy rate is around 16 percent due to the closure of the Yala National Park.

The occupancy rate will reach around 40 percent with the reopening of the park mid this month.Yala should be in every traveller's itinerary as it is home to the second largest wild life sanctuary in the country and many national parks in the vicinity.

The park is known for its variety of wild animals, conservation of elephants, leopards and aquatic birds.Lonely Planet Magazine awards were presented for the the fourth consecutive time this year where travellers vote for their favourite destinations and hotels.

Minister of Tourism John Amaratunga said he hopes to make tourism the number one foreign exchange earner to the country within the next couple of years.