Travel

Economical and family friendly rest houses

In keeping with the Narambamu Sri Lanka project launched by the Ministry of Tourism, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has initiated a campaign to refurbish the existing, SLTDA owned rest houses and holiday resorts.

Domestic tourism

The Narambamu Sri Lanka project singularly aims to spur interest in domestic tourism, and encourage Sri Lankans to travel within their own country, discovering lesser known attractions among the more widely known, and popular sites of historic and cultural interest.

SLTDA owns and manages pilgrims' rest houses at Kataragama and Anuradhapura and domestic holiday resorts at Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela.

During the 2007 and 2008, Bandarawela and Nuwara Eliya resorts were fully refurbished and the Kataragama Pilgrim Rest is being refurbished at present and other ground improvements being planned for the immediate surroundings. The Anuradhapura Rest House will be refurbished subsequently.

Policy changes

On the instructions of the Minister of Tourism, Milinda Moragoda, policy changes in terms of internal operations are also being looked at to create a religiously oriented and family friendly environment, within the respective rest houses and holiday resorts.

The Kataragama Rest House is located within the sacred city area and neither liquor, nor fish or meat, are served at the venue.

The Anuradhapura Rest House is located in close proximity to the Sri Maha Bodhi and while liquor is not being served there, only vegetarian food will be served at this rest house too, in future.

Furthermore, it has been decided that liquor will not be served at Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela Resorts, effective April 14, in a bid to attract families with children.

SLTDA and SLTPB Chairman, Bernard Goonetilleke said, "With the change in concepts, our products will be placed in a unique position, differentiated from other establishments in the region. Combined with the economical prices, this will offer the average local person, the freedom to travel within our country with ease".

Training program

The Anuradhapura Rest House will be the only establishment in the area where singularly vegetarian dishes will be served.

This will form a key differentiation in terms of this venue, and its value as a family retreat will be enhanced.

Director Domestic Tourism and Community Relations of SLTDA, P. U. Rathnayake said, "We have carried out a training program with the assistance of Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) and Hotel Taj Samudra to train the chefs in the preparation of vegetarian dishes, in order to ensure the food retains high quality".

You can reserve space at these establishments through the SLTDA Head Office in Colombo or by directly calling the respective destinations.

AMW launches Yamaha FZ16

Managing Director AMW Mike Bride More handing over the keys of the bike to cricketer Lasith Malinga.

Associated Motorways Limited together with VIP delegation from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd Japan and Yamaha Motor India Pvt. launched the Yamaha FZ16 recently.

The Yamaha FZ16, a stylish and powerful motorcycle was entirely designed and tested by Yamaha Motor Company Japan and built to meet international standards.

The FZ16 is also the winner of several prestigious awards such as UTVI and Autocar India awards 2009, FZ16-Bike of the Year, Zig Wheels 2009, FZ16-Bike of the Year, Business Standard Motoring 2009, FZ16-Viewers Choice Award, UTVI and Autocar India 2009, Yamaha-Excellence in quality styling and success in Motorsports and Apollo tires and Auto India best brand awards 2009. The Distributor for Yamaha Motorcycles in Sri Lanka - Associated Motorways Limited is confident that this newest Yamaha Motorcycle will make a big impact on our market, due to it being ideally suited to the tastes of the stylish fashion conscious young generation.

Holiday in Sri Lanka for One Rupee

SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines launches a specially created 'Second-Passenger-Travels-at-One-Rupee-Only' Holiday Package inviting Indian tourists to an eventful 2 day/3 night tour of Sri Lanka's coastal splendour.

‘Saraswathie Lodge’ and more. Colombo abounds with paneers, vadais, lassis, biryanis, naans, dosaas, and idlis. You WILL be at home in Colombo.

Valid from February 1 to April 30, the tours take you to the country's popular seaside destinations on the South West coast and, of course, the bustling capital city Colombo.

Operative out of seven Indian cities - Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Goa, and Trichy these special packages start from Indian Rs. 13,599 and include visa on arrival, return economy airfare on SriLankan Airlines, accommodation on bed and breakfast basis, and airport transfers. Adding to the excitement, every accompanying passenger on the package pays only One Rupee for the identical holiday in Sri Lanka.

Tour operators

"We are delighted to partner with two leading tour operators in the country, Jetwing Travels and Walkers Tours and these tours have been exclusively created to bring you the very best of what Sri Lanka has to offer its foreign visitors" said Amith Sumanapala, General Manager, SriLankan Holidays.

Pack your bags now and take the next flight to Sri Lanka or with the Tamil New Year holidays coming up early April, together with the Easter school holidays also in April, it's time you thought of taking off ....well not alone....but with a companion who'll actually get his or her similar package for One Rupee Only in this special Holiday Package from SriLankan Holidays.

You may even want to make it a family trip by paying for the parents and then two children going to Sri Lanka for Two Rupees Only!

Enjoy legendary and warm Sri Lankan hospitality as you laze on the golden beaches, relaxing under the swaying coconut palms with the sound of the gentle waves singing in your ears. Savour local cuisine, hot and spicy and much akin to Indian cuisine so you WILL feel at home. Discover quaint and charming local traditions and customs, endemic to Sri Lanka at this time of the year.

That's not all; you will also receive a discount booklet "Shop-Over Booklet", which is the latest value addition to the total holiday experience provided by the award-winning leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines. The booklet contains exciting discount vouchers from over a dozen popular establishments in Colombo including Footrub, Stone 'N' String, Dankotuwa Porcelain, Jetwing Hotels, Zam Gems, Siddhalepa Spa, Romafour, Bally's Casino, Ronique, Bullion Exchange, Bristol Tailors, Hameedias, and Bellagio., which entitle customers of SriLankan Holidays to up to 25 per cent off.

Why not take a drive through the capital city Colombo, through its bustling commercial areas as well as its salubrious tree-lined residential avenues. Shopping in Colombo is rewarding ... to say the least with the city's shopping malls and boutiques ranging from middle to top end. 'Odel', Sri Lanka's internationally popular mall is a destination in itself and brings you a truly international shopping experience. The middle-end `House of Fashion' also attracts hordes of shoppers and is a popular venue in its own right while the smaller shops and boutiques in the Fort, Pettah and Maradana areas offer a wealth of shopping at bargain prices.

Indian cuisine

Hand in hand with shopping is cuisine. Colombo is famous for its Indian cuisine. The city has a good selection of Indian restaurants that serves Mughlai, North Indian, South Indian and other authentic regional Indian cuisine.

Among them are the 'Nawaratne' at the Taj Samudra, Saffron at Trans Aria, the plush 'Mango Tree' restaurant, 'Greenlands Hotel', the vegetarian only 'Saraswathie Lodge' and more. Colombo abounds with paneers, vadais, lassis, biryanis, naans, dosaas, and idlis. You WILL be at home in Colombo.