Sri Lanka is fast becoming the hottest destination in Asia. This is because Sri Lanka has much to offer as a breath-taking tourist destination. Situated just 20 miles off India, the island formerly known as Ceylon is home to 20 million people and six wonderous World Heritage sites. The country’s civil unrest ended over a year ago bringing peace, stability and a huge revival of tourism to the ‘teardrop’ isle. Sri Lanka is famous for its seductive beaches and tempting water sports, magnificent landscapes featuring lazy lagoons, fertile wetlands, ecologically-wondrous types of forest, imposing mountains, bounteous rivers and waterfalls, an abundance of wildlife – much of it endemic.
Also for its unique ecosystems, inspiring heritage sites from ancient cities to colonial forts, a vibrant culture including fine arts and crafts and grand festivals, and a people of diverse ethnicity and religious persuasion, charming and hospitable. The New York Times recently ranked Sri Lanka as no 1 in the best 31 places to visit in 2010-2011.
Meanwhile National Geographic channel ranked Sri Lanka Number 2 among the best 85 places to visit in 2010-2011. Sri lanka is an island of no great size, yet it has an extraordinary number of facest. As Sir Aurther C. Clarke remarked: ’The island of Sri Lanka is a small universe, it contains as many variations of culture, scenery, and climate as some countries a dozen times its size… I find it hard to believe that there is any country which which scores so highly in all departments … which has so many advantages and very few disadvantages… Lovely beaches, beautiful landscapes, impressive ruins, a vibrant cultutre and charming people’.