Sri Lanka seeks enhanced military training from India

Sri Lanka has sought enhanced military training from India, according to President Maithripala Sirisena’s office.

Visiting Indian Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra called on Mr. Sirisena on Monday, and wide-ranging matters, including bilateral defence cooperation between the neighbouring countries and regional security, were discussed, officials said.

“India and Sri Lanka agreed to increase cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas, including regional security, curbing drug smuggling and human trafficking and training of members of the security forces,” a statement from the presidential media unit said.

Thanking India for its partnership, Mr. Sirisena requested to increase the number of personnel trained by India. The Indian Defence Secretary agreed to look into the possibility of enhancing training facilities, the statement further said.

Currently, over 60% of Sri Lanka’s military personnel pursue their young officers’ course, junior and senior command courses in India, according to defence sources in Colombo.

Meanwhile, ‘Exercise Mitra Shakti’, the sixth edition of the joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, concluded in Badulla district, in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, on Monday.

Contingents from the two countries jointly planned and executed a series of “well-coordinated tactical operations based on scenarios that are likely to be encountered in rural and urban environment”, a press release from the Indian Ministry of Defence said. The two-week programme is part of an initiative that began in 2013 as part of military diplomacy between India and Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka’s new tourism advisory committee gets down to work

Mar 14, 2019 (LBO) – With an eye on achieving the targeted 3 million tourist arrivals this year, a newly constituted Tourism Advisory Committee has been appointed by Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga.

The 14 member committee comprises of private sector tourism stakeholders and is headed by business magnate Harry Jayawardena.

The other members of the Tourism Advisory Committee are: Dammika Perera (Hayleys), Merril Fernando (Dilmah), Abbas Esufally (Hemas), Sanjiv Gardiner (Galle Face Hotel Group), Krishan Balendra (John Keells), Shiromal Cooray (Jetwing), Kuok Meng Xiong (Shangri-la), Ashok Pathirage (Softlogic), C.J. Wickremasinghe (Connaissance), Raman Murthy (Taj Hotels), Nalin Jayasundera (Aitken Spence Travels), Vipula Gunatilleka and N. Ranasinghe. The Committee Coordinator is Dinesh Weerakkody while the Convenor is Felix Rodrigo.

The new Advisory Committee met for the first time at the Tourism Ministry recently under the auspices of Minister John Amaratunga.

The Chairman of the four tourism bureau and department heads presented their respective performance reports and forward plans to the Advisory Committee.

Minister Amaratunga stated that arrivals so far this year are on target and Sri Lanka stands to benefit from some big international events that are to be held in the country this year.

Some of them include the IronMan and Raid Amazon events, CITES Global Conference of Parties which will see the participation of nearly 4,000 foreign delegates in May and the Worldwide Bohra community spiritual gathering that will attract around 30,000 followers.

He expressed confidence that with the stabilization of the political environment and security situation, arrivals are likely to pick up much faster in the latter part of the year.

Tourism Advisory Committee Chairman Harry Jayawardena noted that it was a commendable move to bring Wildlife under the Tourism portfolio as the two subjects were inter-connected.

He noted that this was a major strength and many pending issues could now be easily resolved. Jayawardena also cautioned the industry about price undercutting, stating that it is the country that will have to face the repercussions of a price war. He called for unity among the major players and to work towards the greater good of the industry.

John Keells Chairman, Krishan Balendra drew attention to the airport capacity issue which continues to be a major stumbling block to the industry. He pointed out that if 4 million arrivals are to be achieved by 2020 there must be a corresponding increase in airport capacity. Balendra added that a new terminal was no longer an option but an urgent necessity.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka Tourism revealed that its main targets for the next two year were to achieve Rs. 7bn in foreign exchange earnings, provide direct and permanent employment to 600,000 individuals out of whom at least 10 percent would be women, and to increase the per capita spend per tourist from the present US$ 164 to 210 dollars per visitor.

In order to prepare for the anticipated larger numbers Sri Lanka Tourism is to invest in new infrastructure development, expedite resort land alienation, informal sector integration and strengthen Tourist Police and lifesaving presence in all key resort areas. Sri Lanka Tourism will also facilitate loans for development of home stay units, construction of additional rooms in identified locations and also expedite new resort development.

The Tourism Advisory Committee is expected to meet regularly and monitor progress of the proposed development initiatives.

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Sri Lanka's Tourism sector achieves US$ 4.4 billion revenue target

Jan 19, Colombo: Sri Lanka has earned over US$ 4.4 billion from tourism this year with revenue steadily increased by 11.6 percent compared to 2017, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said.

According to the SLTDA, the data suggests that an average duration of stay per person is 11 days in Sri Lanka while average expenditure is approximately 2000 U.S dollars.

The Industry expectations for 2019 are 3 million tourist arrivals and revenue of 5 billion U.S dollars with lonely planet naming Sri Lanka as the Number one destination to travel in 2019.

India, China, and Britain have managed to remain as the leading markets throughout the year in 2018 as well.

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sl Tourism to streamline promotion activities

Sri Lanka Tourism has kick started their promotional campaign for 2019 and around 15% of the budget has already been exhausted so far, said Director, Marketing at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Madubhani Perera. The total budget for 2019 is around Rs. 6 billion.

She said that most of the promotion budget was invested to participate in international fairs in 2019. Perera said that last year the sum allocated for tourism Promotion was around Rs. 5 billion but only around 75% of it was used.

Meanwhile Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Affairs, John Amaratunga said that a proposal has been made to the cabinet to offer Visa on Arrival to tourists from Thailand.

“I am returning from an event in Thailand and their tourists are keen to visit Sri Lanka. Thai nationals are offered free visa on arrival to travel within the ASIAN region. I proposed to the cabinet to offer similar facility for them when visiting Sri Lanka.”

The Minister said that though they were targeting 3 million arrivals for 2019, if there were no political issues in Sri Lanka, this target can reach up to 3.1 million. He said that already there is a 2.2% arrival growth in January as against the previous year. 

Speaking at an event jointly organized by Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators and Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) the Minister said that this year Sri Lanka will play host to many MICE events and the biggest would be the United Nations event in March where over 3,000 delegates would participate.

He however said that successive governments have not taken serious measures to increase capacity at the Colombo airport and this has put a check on many new budget airlines that want to fly to Sri Lanka.

“There is a huge congestion at the immigration counters and steps should be taken to offer one separate lane for Sri Lankans which would speed up matters at Customs,” he said.

The Minister also said that two former Vice Presidents of Sri Lankan Tourism Promotions Bauru, Nilmin Nanayakkara and Mervyn Fernandopulle were exonerated of all charges and this proves that the judiciary is impartial.

“Both of them did not make any decisions or even take any favors while serving in the SLTBP. They merely placed their signatures on Board decisions.”

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Understanding the current industry trend towards bespoke tourism

The current trend within the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is leaning towards bespoke tourism, which hints at growing opportunities and challenges for the tourism sector in general.

Bespoke tourism is growing in popularity around the world. The reason for this is because it’s similar to choosing between off-the-peg suits over tailor-made suits. No matter how well the design is, a bespoke version is going to fit you much better.

To elaborate further, nowadays, travellers look for something more than the traditional organised tours that are centred round famous attractions. They search for more unique and authentic experiences that will connect them to the values and cultures of the country they visit.

According to Phocuswrite, 57% of travellers feel that brands should tailor their information based on personal preferences, and they would be far likelier to pay more for their services if the brand meets these requirements. This is something that is pertinent to the Sri Lankan market as well since this tendency to request specific experiences and luxuries minus the inconveniences is something that Viluxur Holidays has seen with regard to bookings.

It is an open secret that Sri Lanka is catering to mass markets – think India and China. This has led to price wars that have negatively affected Sri Lanka by cheapening its overall offerings. For example: compare the average room revenue for a hotel and an average selling price for a travel agent – you will observe that the value keeps going down even when the number of arrivals are increasing.

At present, there is only a small minority of tour operators and hotels that are willing to cater to tourists who desire a bespoke experience that borders on customisation and luxury. Interestingly, but unsurprisingly, it is largely millennial travellers that are looking for a bespoke tourism experience compared to other generational travellers. The shift in this trend seems logical given this day and age where information is freely available. The millennial traveller is looking to garner a connection at a deeper emotional and personal level by experiencing a country’s history, culture and people. In other words, they are looking for authenticity.

It is this proclivity towards authentic experiences that has led to the rise of initiatives, for instance, like – Cook Like A Local. This noteworthy shift led Viluxur Holidays to develop its own online platform – Taya Finch – that focused on the online traveller; this was a valid and potent decision since business has increased for Taya Finch over the past two years that it has been in operation. This brings me to another topic, which are online bookings, and its incessant rise in terms of usage.

Nowadays technology has advanced to a level where you can get whatever you want with a click of a button. From ordering food to clothes to even medicine, everything is available online and it is far more informative than it was 10 to 15 years ago. The internet has become the biggest marketplace to sell goods and services.

Recently, I came across an article published on a recent study carried out by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) for their holiday habit report in 2017; approximately 80% of travellers from the United Kingdom book their holidays online whereas only 17% make the same transaction via a phone call or a travel agent. Moreover, the fact that 50% of our holiday bookings are made through mobiles, which is expected to increase next year, gives rise to the increasing importance of assimilating technology when it comes to user experience. Needless to say, the need to make websites and booking systems mobile friendly is indisputable.

Thus far I have spoken about the importance of shifting the focus towards bespoke tourism, and while there have been discordant whispers from certain quarters that Sri Lanka doesn’t have the infrastructure to cater to such discerning needs from luxury-hungry tourists: let me assure you that this is an erroneous fact. To prove my point, unlike Thailand or the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of the most culturally-rich places that have many UNESCO World Heritage Sites; within a few days, you can cover Kandy, Dambulla, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Galle Fort et cetera. Sri Lanka also possesses 26 national parks with a great degree of biodiversity not to mention the availability of marine life in locations like Mirissa.

What was lacking in the Sri Lankan tourism industry is the lack of awareness amongst travellers. Most of them did not know of Sri Lanka, what to do in Sri Lanka or what as a nation it has to offer. However, at present, we see a concerted effort by the Government along with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotional Bureau in taking necessary steps to promote Sri Lanka by creating awareness campaigns in countries such as China, India, Germany, France, UK, and Australia amongst many others while also concentrating on creating awareness using the necessary Social Media Platforms. This also has made it possible for Sri Lanka to get highlighted globally, which has given rise to these niche market segments.

With tourism being one of the main contributors to the country’s GDP, value additions like crafting bespoke experiences that cater to the requirements of a new generation of travellers is mandatory to say the least.

Moreover, current trends are indicative of tourism increasing exponentially, which could serve as a warning to the tourism industry in general: a warning because evolving according to the business climate of today is imperative. To drive this point home, I will leave you with a pertinent quote from James Cash Penney of JC Penney — “No company can afford not to move forward. It may be at the top of the heap today but at the bottom of the heap tomorrow, if it doesn’t.”

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Sri Lankan tourist police told to learn Hindi

In addition to English, they should also learn widely used international languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French

In a few years, the tourism sector in Sri Lanka is expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country.

Sri Lankan tourist police told to learn Hindi.In addition to English, they should also learn widely used international languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French

In a few years, the tourism sector in Sri Lanka is expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country. Published: 16:42 August 13, 2018 IANS

Colombo: Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara on Monday said 25 new police posts will be set up covering all the main tourist spots across the country for visitors' security. And police personnel have been asked to learn Hindi.

The decision was taken after discussions with the Chairman and senior officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Xinhua news agency quoted Jayasundara as saying.

"Officers of the Tourist Police Division should pay special attention to language training. In addition to English, they should also learn widely used international languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French," Jayasundara said.

He said a new uniform would be introduced to the Tourist Police Division.

In a few years, the tourism sector was expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country. Therefore, ensuring safety of the foreigners visiting Sri Lanka will be a top priority for the police force, Jayasundara said.

Sri Lanka's tourism industry, once heavily scarred by a 30-year ethnic conflict, has become one of the leading industries after it was dubbed one of the world's greatest tourist hot spots by several international publications.

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Targeting more Indian tourist footfalls

Sri Lanka is aiming for a tourism revenue of $4 billion this year, which would be a record high for the sector. To achieve that, the island’s tourism department will chiefly target visitors from India, from where it gets the highest number of visitors. Authorities point to an uptick in young travellers from India coming to Sri Lanka on weekend trips. They arrive on Friday night and return on Sunday, often squeezing in a quick drive to beach towns such as Galle and Bentota along the southern coast.

With the hope of getting Indian tourists to prolong their stay, and to draw more tourists from other key markets such as China, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, Sri Lanka’s Tourism Development Authority is looking to popularise new attractions. According to its chairman Kavan Ratnayaka, these places will also be an alternative to the currently popular destinations that often get overcrowded — especially Yala National Park in the south and the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya in the Central Province. “We are exploring if the ancient town of Polonnaruwa can be presented as an alternative to Sigiriya, and other national parks like Minneriya and Kaudulla as alternatives to Yala,” he told The Hindu. 

Additionally, tourism authorities are giving shape to the ‘Ramayana trail’, which will consist of sites that many believe have links to the epic. While private tour operators already offer packages to some of these sites, the Tourism Development Authority is yet to formalise the trail. New Delhi, especially after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took over in 2014, has been reportedly keen on the initiative. Simultaneously, within Sri Lanka, there is a resurgent interest in Ravana that offers potential for developing associated sites, officials said.

Making Colombo more happening

 

The trail is only one of the many attractions on the scenic island, where the beaches, hills and historic sites compete for attention. Many Indians are also patrons of the 24-hour casinos in Colombo. In fact, some of them travel frequently, often in groups, and spend the weekend chasing fortunes. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority is also focussing on “making Colombo more happening” with greater retail and entertainment options, authorities said. While its outreach is global, there is a special focus on India — for its proximity and traditional business links — through a targeted campaign online. 

Since the end of the civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka has been witnessing a steady increase in tourist arrivals, but there has been a considerable surge in the last couple of years. From 4.47 lakh in 2009, the number of tourists increased to 10 lakh in 2012. By 2016, the figure had doubled to 20 lakh, according to official data. This year, until May, over 10 lakh tourists visited the island. Of those, about 1.7 lakh visitors, almost a fifth of the total arrivals, were from India. China came second in terms of the number of tourists, with 1.16 lakh arrivals. 

Tourism is, at present, Sri Lanka’s third-biggest source of foreign exchange, after tea and textiles. Authorities want to push it to the top slot. Keeping this objective in mind, they have strengthened security measures. Earlier this year, following a series of incidents involving sexual abuse and violence targeting foreign tourists, authorities said they would set up police posts and patrols at popular resorts. “We have zero tolerance to any threat to the safety of tourists. Sri Lanka should be absolutely safe for the solo woman traveller. That is the standard we are working towards,” said Mr. Ratnayaka. 

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Sri Lanka tourism industry in drive to fill 100,000 worker shortfall

ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka’s leisure industry says it will carry out a five year program to boost the output of skilled trainees and make the sector attractive to school leavers and females as a worker shortfall worsens amid a tourism boom. 

Sri Lanka Tourism and Hospitality Workforce Competitiveness Roadmap 2018-2023, devised by a skills development committee made up of key leisure sector companies said there is an annual shortfall of up to 20,000 workers. 

“[W]e need more and better trained people entering the industry,” Malik Fernando, from Sri Lanka’s Dilmah group, who chairs the Private Sector Tourism Skills Committee, which devised the 5-year plan. 

“We need 100,000. The Tourist Board thinks it’s closer to 90,000, but that doesn’t include the informal sector.” 

According to the roadmap, only 10,000 trainees come out of hotel schools in the country annually.

But about 25,000 to 30,000 are needed each year to staff new hotels and related businesses and also to fill positions falling vacant as older workers retire and others migrate to greener pastures.

Sri Lanka has a falling rupee, making foreign jobs in countries with sounder central banks which provide stronger currencies such as the Maldives and the Middle East, more attractive. 

“We cannot standby and watch anymore. Our complacency will kill the industry,” Fernando said.

“We hope others will join us, but we don’t intend to wait.” 

The skills committee which includes tourism player like Jetwing, John Keells, Dilmah, and Shangri-La is backed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the Ceylon Hotel School, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the Technical and Vocational Education Commission and the US Agency for International Development. 

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is growing rapidly, with the tourism authority estimating that 20,720 rooms will be added to Sri Lanka’s inventory by 2020. 

By end 2017, 35,986 rooms were officially registered with the tourism authority in graded hotels and supplementary units such as guest houses. There are also hundreds of unregistered hotels and guest houses 

A quarter of the tourists visiting the country stayed at unregistered properties, the SLTDA said.

The 5-year plan developed by the skills committee, will revamp curricula in hotel schools and start more three and six month courses to churn out workers faster. 

Additional modules can then be taken while working creating an environment of flexible carreer development and training. 

A train-the-trainers programme on the new curricula will train 200 instructors in vocational training institutes. 

A 4-6 week internship program will be introduced. 

Fernando said that the plan will also increase training on niche areas such as naturalists and wellness professionals, who are increasingly in demand. 

Secondary school teachers will also be trained to provide tourism and hospitality training in such schools under the roadmap. 

Fernando says some young people are not joining the industry due to negative perceptions and some parents oppose female children in particular from joining the industry, which will be adressed by increasing awareness. 

“We want to reach out to the youth, parents and the community,” he said. 

There is also a potential pool of workers in the military who may want to leave and join the hospitality industry, officials said. 

A research unit will also be set up to get up to date information on local and international trends to help better decision-making.

“A lot of our statistics are guesstimates and many of them are plain wrong,” Fernando said. “The data is simply not available and speculative.” (Colombo/July02/2018) 

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Sri Lanka court halts tourism development on Eastern islet

ECONOMYNEXT - Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal has halted the construction of tourist facilities on a small islet in the east coast after an environmental organization protested that it was done without required environmental clearances. 

The CA issued a stay order on the construction activities by a state agency Sallitivu Islet in Batticaloa until the hearing is concluded. 

The Environmental Foundation Ltd, had gone to court saying the District Secretariat started a projet to build accommodation and tourist facilities in the islet without a license from the Department of Coast Conservation and an environmental impact assesment. 

The EFL in it pleadings filed by counsel Viran Corea, Sarita de Fonseka and Subashini Samaraarchchi, Sarita said the islet had 50 native species of plants, including one national endangered, two nationally vulnerable and four near threatened species according to its ecological profile. 

It also had a mudflat used by migrant bird species. 

EFL pleased that it had been informed that a decision was taken to go ahead without a license because, due to time taken to get it, the funding period will be exceeded. 

The islet was only 275 meters long and 155 meters wide and was seasonally connected to the mainland through a sand bar. 

EFL said tourism was a 'non-conumptive' use of the islet, but it had to be regulated and used in a sustainable manner. 

EFL said it had found construction in progress, with tyre tracks and some vegetation cleared, and plastic refuse scattered about. (Colombo/July05/2018) 

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Sri Lanka private sector to facilitate skills supply in tourism sector with launch of TSC

Jul 02, 2018 (LBO) – The Private Sector Tourism Skills Committee (TSC) launched Tourism Workforce Competitiveness Road-map in collaboration with the private tourism industry to take on the challenge of demonstrating to Sri Lanka’s young women and men that a career in the fast-growing tourism and hospitality industry can be safe, stimulating, well-compensated and full of opportunities for growth. 

“Please don’t call it a strategy. We have too many of those and no one ever seems to act on them,” Malik Fernando, chairman, TSC and managing director of Dilmah Tea’s leisure arm Resplendent Ceylon said. 

“This road-map is a call to action. We hope others will join us, but we don’t intend to wait.”

Formulated under special request from TVEC and the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training to urgently respond to the critical workforce challenges and skills supply in tourism, TSC also plans to ensure that the courses available in training institutes are practical, aligned with market needs, and taught according to global best practices. 

PTSC was formulated under special request from TVEC and the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training to urgently respond to the critical workforce challenges and skills supply in tourism. 

TSC is explicitly private sector-led and voluntary. 

It has already prioritized a list of entry-level courses they intend to update with the assistance of TVEC and SLITHM, as well as new courses Sri Lanka needs to introduce to keep pace with global trends. 

Speaking at the launch, USAID’s Mission Director to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Reed Aeschliman said, “This road-map demonstrates the kind of vision, leadership, and cooperation from the private sector that is needed to ensure Sri Lanka gets the most from its incredibly talented young women and men.” 

The road-map was facilitated by renowned team of international experts including James MacGregor and Srilal Miththapala and brought together by some of the leading minds in the industry; Malik Fernando, Angeline Ondaatjie, Shiromal Cooray, Jayantissa Kehelpannala, Sanath Ukwatte, Chamin Wickramasinghe, Dileep Mudadeniya, Timothy Wright , Steven Bradie-Miles, Preshan Dissanayake, Buddhika Hewawasam, Kavan Ratnayake, Manjula Vidanapathirana, Chandra Vithanage. 

Hiran Cooray, Prema Cooray, and Abbas Esufally acted as senior advisors to PTSC. 

One theme in TSC’s roadmap is to encourage more women to enter the industry. 

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Sri Lanka to develop internal air transport : 5 firms come forward

Sri Lanka’s government and cabinet of ministers has given the go ahead to carry out an overhaul in the domestic aviation industry and develop it. 

“Currently, no clear policy governing civil aviation exists, hindering development due to lack of conformity with international standards,” a cabinet statement said.

To address the issues, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry, along with National Policy and Economic Affairs Ministry, plans to make changes in terms of operating principles, airport infrastructure, management and legislations to make the industry which is currently limited to charter flights at high prices more viable. 

Following a joint call for Expression of Interests by the National Agency for Public and Private Partnerships (NAPPP) and Director General Civil Aviation, five bidders have made investment proposals. 

The Government has decided that the permits will be granted on a first come first serve basis. 

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Sri Lanka to build southern coastal city to leading tourism hub in South Asia

COLOMBO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government aims to transform the southern city of Galle into a leading tourism hub in South Asia due to it's historic value and the World Heritage Galle Fort, local media reported Tuesday. 

Wickremesinghe, addressing a forum on the Development Plan for Galle and its suburbs, said all illegal constructions within the Galle Fort would be removed and state organisations located in the Galle Fort area would be shifted without delay.

 He said Galle's new development plan with the aim of promoting tourism will be implemented while preserving and protecting the precious World Heritage Site of the historic Galle Fort and no fortifications will be permitted according to the requests of individuals or organizations. 

Wickremesinghe further said all illegal constructions at the Galle International Cricket Stadium will be also removed accordingly. 

The prime minister had recently said that Galle's tourism plans will also focus heavily on conservation of the natural eco-system and new laws will be formulated to protect the environment in the area during construction. 

The Galle district, the prime minister said, is located between two international airports Katunayake and Mattala and although many concentrate on the coastal area of Galle in terms of tourism, its interior areas were blessed with natural beauty and have immense potential. 

 "That is why we have already made plans to start tourism projects in Akurala and Koggala. With all these projects, Galle, I am certain, will become a major tourism hub in the region," the Prime Minister said. 

Sri Lanka's tourism sector has continued to grow since a three-decade civil conflict ended in May 2009 between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels. 

China has been Sri Lanka's second largest market with 115,870 Chinese tourists arriving so far this year.

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Culinary Art 2018 puts Sri Lanka ‘in the upper rung for delectable cuisine’

 

The local hotel industry and its connected interest areas were complementary to the tourist trade in general and were instrumental in increasing the number of tourists who visited Sri Lanka. Culinary Art 2018, now in its 18th year, was a factor that spurred tourist arrivals, ensuring Sri Lanka was now firmly in the "must visit" grouping of countries, Minister of Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga said.

He was Chief Guest at the Culinary Art 2018 exhibition held recently at the BMICH.. He said the significance of this annual event was that each year portrayed progressive strides in culinary skills exhibited by the local hotel industry.

He lauded the group of organizers who had ensured the productss exhibited were of the highest levels. 'As in previous years the exhibition would provoke wider visitor interests and ensure an increased number of tourist arrivals, the minister said.

He further said it would be encouraging if more women were attracted to the hospitality trade.

The minister added that excellence in culinary art becomes necessary to keep pace with the fast growing tourism industry to satisfy the complex food passions, adopting the highest standards of culinary art. 'Broad participation in the competition would undoubtedly be a hallmark of excellence for the future as well.'

Chairman Chef’s Guild of Sri Lanka, Gerard Mendis said this year's exhibits would be judged by a group of international chefs; Bernd Uber, from Germany, Eric Wong, SATS Catering, Singapore, Walter Butt, Switzerland, Eric Low from Singapore.

Included also in the panel were Chef Dilip de Silva (with UK experience), Eraj Abeywardena, with qualifications from Budapest, Hiran Serasinghe, who was with the Oberoi India, Sunil Danthanarayana, who served with the Intercontinental Hotels Chain, Athula Senanayake, graduated from Austria and worked at the Hilton International, UK, Nishadha Periyaperuma, from the Hyatt, and a graduate of Regency Campus, Adelaide, Chamila Jayasinghe, Atlantis and Palm, Nalaka Fernando, who worked at AB Mauri, and Keerthi Hapugasdeniya, domiciled in Australia.

Culinary Art Food Expo ( CAFÉ),held this month, featured a substantial number of Sri Lankan industry professionals, spanning vertical sectors from Food and Drink , Food Service, and Hospitality Equipment. The exhibition also featured regional industry professionals and exhibitors.

The competition was open to chefs from resorts, restaurants, hotels from all parts of the country and the region, Gerard Mendis further said the Chefs Guild, established 1988, was an industry centered training platform with structured culinary programmes to establish world class experience in hospitality training.

At the awards ceremony held on the third day of the exhibition some 360 competitors were judged for The Festive Buffet, Sri Lanka Master Baker of the Year, Sri Lanka Artistic Creative Pastry Chef , Sri Lanka Family Master Cooking Championship, Sri Lanka Arrack and Vodka Cocktail Championship and Scan Sunquick Moktail Competition.

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Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals grow 6.2 percent

Sri Lanka ETA Online Visa

COLOMBO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals grew by 6.2 percent in May, compared to the same month last year, with over 129,000 tourists visiting the island country, statistics from the Tourism Ministry showed on Tuesday.

India, China, Britain, Germany and Australia were the top five markets generating the highest number of arrivals.

Almost 96.7 percent of tourists travelled by air to Sri Lanka.

China, which was within the top three markets, had 17,103 tourists visiting Sri Lanka in May.

This year, Sri Lanka has already recorded 115,870 Chinese tourist arrivals to the island country.

Overall tourist arrivals this year has been over 1 million with the government targeting a 2.5-million tourist arrival by the end of the year.

In a bid to attract more Chinese travelers, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said last month that the Sri Lankan government had signed an agreement with a leading Chinese tour operator.

Amaratunga said China is an important destination for Sri Lankan tourism and the government hopes to attract over 300,000 Chinese tourists this year.

The minister said the government will target a revenue of 4.4 billion U.S. dollars through its tourism sector this year.

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Sri Lanka Tourism sees Mumbai as market of high growth potential

Sri Lanka Tourism started its 2018 tourism calendar with a positive output by participating in the 5th edition of the India International Travel & Tourism Exhibition –IITT 2018, with more than 28,000 visitors and more than 500 fully-hosted buyers attending it. This travel extravaganza was held from 11th to 13th January. 

SriLanka Tourism played a major role at the IITT as the MICE& Wedding Destination partner. Sri Lanka is becoming widely popular as a wedding destination for those who want to have a different experience in a different culture. Its different picturesque landscapes and colonial style hotels offer a rare treat to have the perfect matrimonial experience of one’s choice. 

The other key sponsors of this event included Indonesia Tourism, Feature Destination, Maharastra Tourism, Host State & Malaysia Tourism, Feature Country. The Sri Lanka pavilion was able to draw a major attraction as it was exquisitely crafted and designed, highlighting Sri Lanka’s talent of making innovative and vivid creations. 

The creativity of the Sri Lanka pavilion met other levels of art with professionalism. IITT partnering with Sri Lanka proved to be rather momentous for the industry, and showed signs of having an idyllic business partnership in future as well. 

The Sri Lanka pavilion was declared open by Shri Jayakumar Jitendrasingh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, and also Saroja Sirisena, Sri Lanka Consul General in Mumbai. Twenty eight leading travel agents and hoteliers from Sri Lanka including leading names in the industry from Sri Lanka participated at the event, and were able to further strengthen their business relationships and marketing strategies with their Indian counterparts. 

Coinciding with the event, Sri Lanka Tourism hosted a dinner titled ‘Sri Lanka evening’ for Indian wedding planners, tour operators and the media, which gained the attention of Sri Lanka as a rapidly growing wedding and film destination, with its wide diversity of attractions to suit the needs of any interested traveler. The cultural performances showcasing Sri Lanka’s heritage attracted the Indian participants immensely both at the IITT and also the Sri Lanka evening. 

The inauguration panel of IITT 2018 graced the presence of Shri Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharastra, Special Guest Saroja Sirisena, Sri Lanka Consul General in Mumbai, Karan Anand, Head of Relationships and Supplier Management, Cox & Kings. Joining them were industry leaders Jatinder Paul Singh, COO, Cox & Kings, Sunil Kumar, President, TAAI, Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI, Guldeep Singh Sahni, Founder & Immediate Past President, OTOAI, Pronab Sarker – President, IATO and P. P Khanna, President, ADTOI. 

Through strong collaborations with countries seeking to expand their business in India, IITT hosted dedicated and distinct International Country Pavilions on the expo floor. Trade show visitors had a chance to meet, and gain invaluable insight from more than 500 travel exhibitors, partners and experts from over 20 International countries. With the existence of International Pavilions, the global connection only strengthened this expo and helped to touch new standards of connectivity with excellence and quality. 

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