Nat Geo accolade would boost tourism further:

Sri Lanka among top six destinations

By Shirajiv SIRIMANE

A leopard at Yala

Adam’s Peak

Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya

Sri Lankan tourism, which has targeted a 'golden double' of one million visitor arrivals and revenue of one billion US dollars next year, received another major boost when the National Geographic Traveler magazine nominated the island as one of the Top Six places in the world to visit next year.

Early this year, The New York Times named Sri Lanka as one of its must visit destinations and the National geographic accolade would tremendously help improve the global tourism image of the country.

The magazine, widely read all over the world, acknowledges the peace dividend and its ranking also makes a mockery of the so-called human rights violations allegations levelled against the country.

The magazine says......"Sri Lanka means "resplendent isle," and the natural charms of this pear-shaped island in the Indian Ocean that nearly kisses the southeast tip of India are indeed splendid.

"Peopled mostly by Sinhalese, the result of waves of Indo-Aryan emigration, the island is mostly flat, with gentle mountains in the south.

"The Portuguese and the Dutch once waged proxy wars here; by 1802 the island was a British colony."

"After decades of strife, in 2009 the Tigers were vanquished. Today peace prevails."

The magazine says that Sri Lanka should be included in the travel plans of anyone planning holidays and states..... "What places are calling your name for 2012? Whatever your mood, Traveler magazine has a recommendation for you-from the romantic hills of Croatia to the perfect beaches in Thailand....."

The other top five destinations nominated are Iceland, Dresden in Germany, Costa Berva in Spain, North Colombia and Oman.

The magazine has also highlighted 'six must see places and events in Sri Lanka with photographs which includes the Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya which was upgraded to a four-star heritage property with an investment of Rs. 85 million. For the first time in Sri Lanka, a tea bar was introduced to the hotel.

The six highlights of Sri Lanka are:

Poya festival

Dambulla

Lines of light bulbs illuminate the path to the summit of Adam's Peak during Poya festivals in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. This mountainous, mist-draped realm has long been popular with backpackers and other adventurers for its tea plantations and rain forest preserves. The Central Highlands recently were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Dambulla Cave Temple

The cave monastery of Dambulla, a World Heritage Site, has five sanctuaries and is the largest, best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka.

Temple of the Tooth

In the northern part of the Central Highlands lies the historic town of Kandy and its 18th-century Temple of the Tooth, an important Buddhist shrine.

Leopards

Leopards (Panthera pardus) are best observed at the Yala National Park. Located on the southern coast of the island, Yala is Sri Lanka's most visited and second largest national park.

Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya

Pristine grounds surround the grand hotel Nuwara Eliya.

Royal Palace of Kandy

A large number of visitors see the Royal Palace of Kandy, which houses the Temple of the Tooth. Kandy is a good jumping-off point to the so-called ancient cities region, which includes the looming rock and fortress complex known as Sigiriya.

The National Geographic Traveler magazine accolade would also help woo top hotel chains to include Sri Lanka in their investment plans. Already Shangri-La and Sheraton have pledged investments in Sri Lanka while one of the oldest hotels in Sri Lanka the Grand Oriental Hotel too is tipped to tie up with the Raffles hotel chain for further upgrading.