Mahaweli Reach invests Rs. 80 million on refurbishment

Mahaweli Reach Kandy a leading five star hotel in the area has invested Rs. 80 million for a refurbishment program. The refurbishment program is undertaken after nearly a decade.

The refurbishment would include the upgrading of 114 rooms and the interior. According to Managing Director Mahaweli Reach, Jayantha Panabokke, parquet floors would be introduced to the rooms along with new carpeting and furniture.

The management has also introduced a state of the art gymnasium and a business centre for the hotel. He said that 70 percent of the refurbishment program is completed and the property would be ready for winter season.

The Mahaweli Reach also hosted the Sri Lanka's donor conference for two days and the donors were happy with the hotel and the facilities it offered.

The hotel now in partnership with Universal Holidays of the Maldives offers 114 rooms with views of either the serene Mahaweli River, or the tropical garden.

All rooms are equipped with a telephone incorporating IDD facilities, TV, piped music, mini-bar, wall-to-wall carpeting, a private balcony- all supplemented by 24-hour room service, steeped in the age old culture.

In addition they also have a Presidential Suite and Executive Suite. They have the largest swimming pool in Kandy.

He said that Kandy though a world heritage site is still considered as a transit destination where the average stay is around two days. "Authorities must develop the city to attract tourists to stay longer," he said. A better cultural centre would be developed and more marketing should be done to promote Kandy.

Caution should be also taken to maintain the Kandyan culture when new commercial sites are approved. "This would maintain the historic value for which Kandy is famous for," he said. (SS)

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'Rediscover Sri Lanka' launched

BY IRANGIKA Range

SRILANKAN Airlines in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) and the Tourism Cluster has launched a local tourism industry focussed campaign called "Rediscover Sri Lanka" investing US $4.1 million to return to the global tourism market which is fast recovering from last year's tsunami.

This 100-day campaign consisting of commercials on international television and press was started on May 16 in Europe, the Middle East, Far East and South Asia. An Internet campaign is also being conducted with banner advertisement on 25 major travel websites.

CEO of SriLankan Airlines Peter Hill said that this campaign would definitely change the mindset of both the global tourism industry and the travelling public about visiting Sri Lanka and enjoying a vacation here.

SriLankan Airlines is providing US $ 2.1 million in funding the first two months of the campaign and the next stage will be financed by SLTB.

The Tourism Cluster will provide US$ one million to this campaign. "Television commercials of this campaign had been tested with the expatriate community in Sri Lanka and in France through Sri Lanka Tourism's office there. We will be re-evaluating the campaign in June and looking at ways to improve upon it," he said.

Chairman of the SLTB, Udaya Nanayakkara said although tsunami affected the tourism industry, the tourists are coming back. With Rediscover Sri Lanka, we are showing the world that we are ready," he said.

Signs of the rediscovery are already evident, with 167,511 arrivals in the first four months of 2005, after the tsunami it's up by 3 percent from last year," he said. He said that many branded hotel chains are being set up in Sri Lanka, such as Aman Resorts, Banyan Tree, Sheraton and Hyatt.

Sri Lanka is also repositioning itself globally, and attracting more high-end tourists. Average spending per day per tourist rose to US $ 74 in 2004, up from US $ 62 a year earlier. The target for 2005 is US $ 84 per tourist per day.

Chairman of the Tourism Cluster, Prema Cooray said consumer promotion is vital at this stage.

It is significant that all stakeholders in Sri Lanka's tourism industry have come on board to participate in this campaign. As a tourist cluster we pledge to grant US $ 3 million for Sri Lanka's tourism recovery efforts, he said.

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Colombo hosts SAARC tourism Summit

BY SHIRAJIV Sirimane

SRI LANKA will host the annual SAARC Tourism Ministers Summit on July 29 at Taj Samudra Colombo. This is the second occasion that the Summit would be hosted in Sri Lanka.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Convention Bureau and the SriLankan Airlines too have pledged their assistance for the Summit. Over 100 guests and their spouses would attend the event.

According to the Vice President of SAARC Tourism Council N. Rajabdeen, there are 1.5 billion people in the region and one of the prime objectives is to promote tourism within the region.

He said that while the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal adopt Visa on arrival policy other countries are yet to make progress in this area. "This is one of the key issues in the agenda and we are hoping to make some progress in this area," he said.

He said that high air travel within the region in some sectors too would be taken in to discussion. "There are some instances where a passenger can pay 20,000 extra and obtain a return air ticket to London rather than flying to a SAARC destination," he said. Improving air links within the region too would be discussed at the Summit.

The region has a good hotel structure with all the countries having adequate rooms and the only problem is the lack of air facilities. "We are also hoping to take this issue with the SriLankan Airlines," he said. More code share flights and new Airlines emerging too would solve this problem to some extent.

Minister of Investment Promotion, Industries and Tourism Anura Bandaranaike will be the Chief guest of the event.

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Emirates to build five star hotel

Emirates is embarking on yet another large-scale capital investment, only this time it's not an order for more aircraft. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, disclosed during a news conference at the Arabian Travel Market that General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, has approved plans for the construction by the airline of a new 5-star Dhs 800 million (US $218 million) luxury hotel in Dubai.

In announcing the launch of the new 70-storeyed 350 metres high building on Sheikh Zayed Road, which will be among the world's five tallest hotels, and also one of the largest in the U.A.E.

Sheikh Ahmed thanked the Crown Prince for his support of Emirates' initiative and stressed the significance of the new landmark building as another contribution of the airline towards realising Sheikh Mohammed's vision of turning Dubai into one of the world's top business and tourist centres.

Contemporary and futuristic in its design the Emirates hotel will break new architectural ground with cantilever rooms and over 50 sky terraces. When completed in 2008 it is certain to stand part with its distinctive elevation in a stepped form, encased in a glass and aluminium exterior.

The hotel will offer 560 deluxe rooms, 112 suites and one Presidential suite, each giving guests an unparalleled, panoramic view of Dubai, including some of this most prestigious projects, such as the Burj Dubai, Business Bay and the Dubai Financial Centre.

Commenting on the new initiative, Sheikh Ahmed said: "Last year Dubai hosted 5.4 million visitors - an increase of almost nine per cent over the year before, and the number is expected to treble by the end of this decade.

Dubai's infrastructure must be prepared for this huge expansion in tourist arrivals, and the Emirates new hotel is our contribution to the city's efforts to meet the forecast demand for more hotel rooms.