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Sunday, 11 August 2013

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Laksala Museum Gallery Café to promote traditional artefacts

Laksala, the oldest and one of the best known gift and souvenir boutiques for authentic Sri Lankan artefacts opened its landmark store at the Colombo Museum premises recently. The architect of this concept, Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa opened the state-of-the-art outlet 'Laksala Museum Gallery Café'.

Minister for National Heritage, Jagath Balasuriya and Minister for Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation, Jayarathne Herath were also present. This trendy boutique conceived under the Divi Neguma social development scheme is built on one-and-a-half acres of land and has been designed to preserve the layout and heritage depicted through the National Museum. Cabinet approved Rs. 220 million for the project. About Rs. 185 million has been spent on the first phase. The balance will be used for future expansion.

"Tourism is a vital part of our economy. To attract tourists to the country the gift and souvenir industry should be of international standard. Laksala has done a wonderful job with the gallery. This outlet which is in the museum premises, has preserved the characteristics of the museum," said Minister Rajapaksa.

"As most tourists visit the museum during their stay in Sri Lanka, opening a Laksala outlet in the same premises allows them to purchase culturally significant souvenirs ," he said.

He said that the expansion of Laksala will encourage traditional artisans in the country. Over 30,000 items from around the island are available in the store.

These include woodcraft, brassware, leather, ceramics, batiks and handloom. The air-conditioned sales outlet also has a cultural display unit, a gem gallery and facilities such as a rest area, coffee shop and a restaurant for tourists.

Chairman and CEO of Laksala, Anil Koswatte in a statement said, "Our goal is to make Laksala the ultimate and most sought-after souvenir boutique among Sri Lankans and foreigners. We see the opening of the new store as an initiative to serve tourists better. In expanding our chain, we not only seek to generate higher revenue for the national economy, but also to uplift the living standards of more village craftsmen and small scale suppliers.

"Laksala which was once an under-performing entity, due to financial hardship and management issues, was considered an inactive government organisation in 2008. However, the Laksala team made a comeback in 2010, with a profit of Rs. 6 million and then a profit of Rs. 49 million and Rs. 65 million in 2011 and 2012. The profit forecast for 2016 is Rs. 200 million."

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