Tourism is a major industry in Sri Lanka and is set to grow even more in the coming years.
Last month, tourist arrivals to the country were up by 46 percent on the same period last year, and - fuelled by the recent end of the island's civil war - a total of 650,000 people visited in 2010.
This year, Sri Lankan tourism authorities are aiming for 700,000 and by 2016 the country hopes to pull in 2.5 million overseas visitors annually, although analysts have warned that the tourism infrastructure will need improving to cope with the expected demand - there were only an estimated 15,000 rooms in the country as of March 2010.
Nevertheless, 2011 looks as if it will be a bright year for Sri Lankan tourism, with officials laying on different events every month to drum up interest as part of the "Visit Sri Lanka Year."
So what can visitors during the year look forward to in the country Lonely Planet described as the "jewel of the Indian Ocean" in its "top ten places to visit in 2011"?