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| Wednesday, 19 January 2005 |
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by Anjana Gamage Foreign journalists will pick up their note pads, lap tops and cameras and descend on Sri Lanka next month to catalogue its charms and attractions to portray the country as a unique travel destination although battered by the tsunami waves, as a special tourism promotion campaign conducted by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) gets under way, Director General of the SLTB, S. Kalaiselvam told the "Daily News". According to him, the SLTB is planning to bring down 100 journalists from all corners of the world including Europe and Japan in February as part of the tourism promotion plan to mark Sri Lanka as a safe and attractive tourist destination notwithstanding the havoc wrought by tsunami. "In the aftermath of the tsunami, on December 26, there was a 50 percent drop in tourists arrivals in the country. As we all know, we surpassed our tourists arrivals target last year to record a 550,000 arrival figure. We want to put our local tourism back on the right track. Therefore we are expecting the assistance of foreign journalists right now to boost our tourism industry", he said. He said "the country's rebuilding plan is now under way. After clearing all the debris in the affected coastal areas, we will bring down the foreign journalists to these areas. They will also be afforded the opportunity to travel all over the country including the hill capital and Nuwara Eliya as well", he further said. According to the Director General, several leading hotels in the affected areas including the Yala Village in Yala, Light House in Galle, Taj Exotica in Bentota, Royal Palm in Kalutara, Bentota Beach Hotel, Seven Island in Trincomalee and Tristar Beach Hotel in Arugam Bay have recommenced operations. These foreign journalists will receive the opportunity to visit the affected areas and will be accommodated in these same hotels as well, he said. Meanwhile in the aftermath of the tsunami on 26 December, the Ministry of Tourism and the SLTB have developed short to long-term recovery plans for 15 coastal resorts towns for restoration. They are Wadduwa, Beruwala, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Koggala, Matara, Hambantota, Tangalla, Yala, Arugam Bay, Passikuddah, Nilaweli and Kalpitiya. These resort-towns will be master-planned taking into consideration zoning regulations, and the needs of the community. Commerce and livelihoods will be recapitalised even as property, plant and equipment are restored. Meanwhile, the SLTB has created a website to provide information to the outside world details of the scenario in the aftermath of tsunami in Sri Lanka covering the country's rebuilding projects, media coverage, information on the hotels function in the coastal areas, airlines and etc. Any one who desire to get these information should visit the website: Bouncebacksrilanka.org |
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