Lonely Planet lends mileage to Sri Lanka tourism

By Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Lonely Planet is the first travel guide a tourist would lay his hands on after obtaining an air ticket to visit a destination. They say the first thing you should have in your travel kit is the Lonely Plant as it gives an in-depth analysis of destinations, hotels and their rates.

Lonely Planet is considered as the 'travel bible' with millions of copies being sold all over the world.

This magazine which is sold in airports all over the world has given Sri Lanka a rare accolade, describing the country as the "jewel of the Indian Ocean" in its "top ten places to visit in 2011".

A similar accolade came Sri Lanka's way last December when an American newspaper listed Sri Lanka as one of its top destinations.

The Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Sri Lanka which is now in progress will automatically market the nation to an audience of several millions.

The Independent Newspaper in London has taken quotes from the Lonely Planet and has produced a story very positive to the country.

Lonely Planet is the most read travel guide and digital media publisher in the world. Since 2007, the company has been controlled by BBC Worldwide, which owns a 75% share, while founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler own the remaining 25%. Originally called Lonely Planet Publications, the company changed its name to Lonely Planet in July 2009 to reflect its broad travel industry offering and the emphasis on digital products.

After Let's Go Travel Guides, it was one of the first series of travel books aimed at backpackers and other budget conscious travellers.

As of 2010, it publishes about 500 titles in 8 languages. In its February 15th publication The Independent says....

"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?"

The Independent also speaks of Sri Lankan tea, ruins in Anuradhapura, Eco Tourism, Ramayana Trail and also the Cricket World Cup.

"This would bring us additional mileage, an official from Sri Lanka Tourism in UK" said.

He said that already the UK tourists give high yields to the country as the pound is strong and their spending power is high.

"This will definitely lead to better UK arrivals to Sri Lanka for the Winter market not only from UK but from all over Europe," he said.