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This week’s edition carries news of
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The World Travel Market (WTM) held in London this week was attended by a team of 152 Sri Lankan travel industry participants. On the ‘Greening the Globe’ theme, Sri Lanka’s stall stood out for its open concept, energy saving and green theme. The outlook for Sri Lanka was good this year according to the participants, with markets in the UK and rest of Europe, responding well.
Sri Lanka’s top surfing destination Arugambay was adjudged the first runner up in the ‘Best Destination’ category at the WTM/Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards which was a highlight of the show. Sri Lanka also sponsored the ‘Conservation effort for the Most Endangered Species Award’ and was recognised for its greening efforts.br>
At the UNWTO / WTM sponsored Tourism Ministers Summit on ‘Climate Change and Tourism’, Sri Lanka was positioned high on the agenda as the Costa Rica of Asia, with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism making a presentation on the theme “Towards a Carbon Clean Sri Lanka: A Tourism Earth Lung” featured together with the Minister from Brazil on the programme.
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The World Travel Awards (WTA) announced the winners of the Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Awards at Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore at a glamorous and exciting event. Five of Sri Lanka’s leading hotels were rewarded for excellence; voted in by travel professionals from 167,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.
Congratulations go out to the winners:
Sri Lanka's Leading Boutique Hotel: Galle Fort
Sri Lanka's Leading Hotel: Hilton Colombo
Sri Lanka's Leading Resort: Ayurveda Pavilions
Sri Lanka's Leading Spa Resort: Ayurveda Pavilions
Sri Lanka's leading Suite: Presidential Suite, Taj Samudra Colombo.
http://www.worldtravelawards.com/winners2007-4
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Austrian Airlines non stop flight from Vienna to Colombo Boeing 767 landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Thursday November 1st, resuming its weekly flights to Colombo.
Rajitha Seneviratne, Manager Sri Lanka for Austrian Airlines, commenting on the future said: “Now that things are looking up, I am confident that by the next winter season we will be back to three direct flights per week coming from Vienna.”
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As Scotland’s capital Glasgow emerged winners, champagne flowed at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. All eyes looked to Colombo as representatives of 71 nations voted for selection of the venue. Scotland won with a 23 vote margin and Glasgow became the venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Abuja made a strong bid, with a powerful presentation, which came in for praise from Michael Fennel president of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
Tributes were also paid to Hemasiri Fernando, President National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, for organizing this prestigious event in Colombo and for his appointment as a Vice President representing Asia at the Commonwealth Games Federation.
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The ITOP forum 2007 themed ‘Maritime Tourism – Development and Marketing’ drew delegates from Hainan, Jeju, Okinawa, Zanzibar and Bali to the exotic coastal town of Bentota, in the south of Sri Lanka. The meetings were held from 5th to 7th November, with participants deliberating on enhancing cooperation and interaction, with emphasis on fostering and developing maritime tourism.
The Southern Provincial Council, in association with the Ministry of Tourism and the Southern Provincial Tourism Bureau, were hosts to this forum which first met in Jeju, Korea in July 1997. The Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, assisted in the organisation of the event.
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Sri Lanka’s adventure tourism is on the fast track with more and more tourists seeking to explore its diversity, while experiencing the thrill of kayaking, boating, running, mountain biking and swimming. To service the needs of the adventure tourists, Borderlands/ EDGE, Sri Lanka’s first adventure goods store was launched recently and offers life jackets, real paddles and other essential tools to make an adventure holiday complete on an island which boasts of pristine natural areas, hills, streams and rivers, surrounded by the Indian ocean.
For more details visit www.discoverbroderlands.com / www.edgesrilanka.com
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In October this year, the Taj Airport Garden Hotel launched the new 24 x 7 menu, at ‘Society’ the 24 hour coffee shop and the 24 hour In-Room dining service. The hotel is situated in close proximity to the Colombo International Airport at Katunayake and is a popular venue for transit passengers as well.
From a Continental breakfast to traditional Indian food to a Chinese dinner, a diverse variety of cuisine to delight the taste buds of the most discerning is on offer.
For more information contact anandg.nair@tajhotel.com www.tajairportgardensrilanka.com
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Ocean Odyssey a recently refurbished three star liner, with a passenger carrying capacity of 250, equipped with all modern conveniences, berthed in Colombo on an Indian Ocean voyage covering Goa, Mangalore, Suheli, Cochin, Colombo, Trivandrum and Cheriyam. Arriving at the Colombo port on Saturday evening, the visitors from Italy, Germany, France, Austria and America made a day tour of Kandy on Sunday - staying overnight at the Earl’s Regency and sailing back again on Monday evening. Under the new service, the liner is expected to touch Colombo once a fortnight. For more details visit www.indianoceancruises.net
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The Neemrana Music Foundation will perform “The Pearl Fishers” in Colombo in January 2008. This coincides with another major cultural event - the Galle Literary Festival. With a cast of around 150 from Sri Lanka, France, India and Korea ‘The Pearl Fishers’ ; An opera, composed in 1863 by the French composer Georges Bizet, is a love story set on an island off the coast of Sri Lanka, among simple fishing folk.
Colombo will resonate with the universal language of music, encouraging cross cultural connections, bringing Sri Lanka on the global map of western classical music and drawing attention to the variety on offer for the discerning visitors and the culture buffs who follow the trails of good theatre.
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Please note that a major web upgrading initiative of Sri Lanka Tourism is also underway. We call on all tourism industry stakeholders to keep sending us snippets of news so we could include them in the weekly newsletters, we will bring to you on an improved format.
Sri Lanka Tourism wishes to thank all stakeholders for their wonderful support and assistance and wishes to invite them to get involved with 'Sri Lanka calling'. Please send your articles to stories@srilanka.travel
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