Arugam Bay: The surfer’s Paradise

From the sun-kissed beaches brimming with a bounty of sea life along the coast, to a veritable ecological museum further inland, Sri Lanka Aravana price in sabarimala

Rarely does one come across adestination that is so close to Indiaand has so much to offer. From the sun-kissedA?beaches brimming with a bounty of sea life along the coast, to a veritable ecological museum further inland, Sri Lanka, has always been one of the more exotic global destinations in this part of the world.

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Arugam Bay Main Point Surf

Brimming with a two millennia old history reflected in the spectacularly well maintainedA?A?world heritage sites (UNESCO) at Anuradhapura and Sigiriya, nestled adjacent to pristine reminders of a colonial era, coloured in a palate that draws from history, mythology and nature, inhabited by people whose spirit of hospitality has few parallels, this vibrant IslandA?Destination has many names – Serendipity, Teardrop of India, Resplendent Isle, Island of Dharma and Pearl of the Indian Ocean to name a few.

While these nomenclatures do excite the imagination, they do not come close to the experience. Sri Lankaa??s proximity toA?India makes it a natural choice for that perfect break a?? with arguably the best connectivity for anyA?destination (over 75 flights a week from 11 ports across India), and a strong socio a?? cultural fit.

Sri Lanka Tourism has announced its plans to accelerate on marketingA?Sri Lankaas an idealA?destination to Indian tourists.A?A? The country is all set to project its unique features to Indian visitors through easy accessibility, state-of-artA?infrastructure, and visa-on-arrival facility for leisure travel blended with Sri Lankan hospitality. As part of the integrated communication campaign, Sri Lanka has planned many promotional initiatives, including a three city road show inA?India, a move that is expected to attract and generate more Indian tourists to the island.

During these road shows, Sri Lankan Officials are interacting with nearly 150 travel agents in each city on a one to one basis. Top 15A?Destination Management Companies (DMC) from Sri Lanka are promoting Sri Lankaa??s prime destinations and travel opportunities.

With the 26-year-old civil war coming to an end inA?Sri Lanka,A?India Inc. is on the threshold of a never-like-before opportunity to do business with the island nation.

Mr. Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director,A?Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said a??Our promotional campaign captures the essence of our country. When people see Sri Lanka or think of our country we want them to be inspired to see a nation united after conflict. It takes our values to the nations beyond our shores, acting both as an invitation and an inspiration.a??

a??I seeA?India as our biggest source market, as our product offering is very close to what the Indians want.A? We have some of the bestA?beaches in the region, our cuisines are very close to what Indians relish, our religious sites, including the 52 Ramayana sites are of tremendous spiritual and cultural interest to a majority of Indians, and our hills and valleys are what Indians seeka?? added Mr. Mudadeniya. a??Our biggest advantage is the proximity.A? Indians are less than 2 A? hours away fromSri Lanka from 11 cities making it the most accessibleA?destination by far for Indiansa?? he concluded.

Greater accessibility fromA?India is one of the reasons that has turned Sri Lanka into an excellent travelA?destination in South Asia. Besides, visitors have confirmed thatSri Lanka is a valueA?destination compared to many others in the region. The world class Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Colombo has arrangements for visitors to spend the least amount of time through procedures. In 2008 a total of 85,000 Indian tourists travelled to Sri Lanka (SLTB Stats).

August 2009 has witnessed an amazing number of 41, 207 visitors who arrived from various countries toA?Sri Lanka.A? There were 7,409 visitors fromA?India who visited the island country in the month of August.

Sri Lanka plans to target three main categories of individuals fromA?India a?? the youth and young families, up-market travelers and those seeking spiritual solace. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is currently working closely with various domestic operators as well as several Indian travel agents and tour operators, to come up with specific products including attractively priced holiday packages for the young and young at heart that would includeA?beaches, nightlife, shopping and world class value for money hotels. TheA?beaches have plenty of opportunities for water sports and get a glimpse of several species of whales such as blue whales, hump-backed whales, sperm whales, as well as killer whales and dolphins.

For the more selective audiences,A?Sri Lanka plans to offer its host of excellent vintage properties (many over 150 years old), where the discerning traveller can experience the excellence of old world colonial charm as they travel back in time.

The Ramayana Trail a??identified by the SLTPB and theA?Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority a?? also has a great value for many Indians.A?A?Sri Lanka boasts of over 52 sites that can be traced back through legend to the actual Ramayana, including Ashoka Vatika, where Sita was kept captive, Dunuvila is a place from where Lord Rama fired the Brahmaasthram at King Ravana and killed him, the Chariot Path is the route in which King Ravana took Sita from his capital city Lankapura to Ashoka Vatika; all of which are of prime religious importance to a majority of Indians.

a??Many religious missions like the Chinmaya Mission and the Ramakrishna Mission have sent their scholars here and who left were convinced of its authenticity. What makes most of these sites all the more exciting is the accessibility from hotels and lodges, whereby even the elderly and the infirm of faith can easily reach these sitesa?? saidA?Mr. Indrajith De Silva, Assistant Director,A?Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

The new era also opens the doors to the North and the East of the country, a hitherto undiscovered part of the island that is teeming with untouchedA?beaches, idyllic villages and cultural treasures galore. With the coastlines rebuilt for travelers and plans to develop the North and East of the island, the time is right for Sri Lanka to reap the benefits of tourism.

From Arugam Bay the a??Surfera??s Paradisea??, to BatticaloaA? where many cultures meet, going further up the coast to Trincomalee and Nilaveli, where one finds Sri Lankaa??s most admired and pristineA?beaches, infrastructure is now being developed with the hope of attracting more tourists to these areas. Today, these locations are being developed with a heightened interest and expectation of a revival in tourism.

Factors such as government support for the tourism sector and expansion of low-cost carrier services also contribute to the growth of the industry. Speaking on this occasion Mr. Vipula Wanigasekare, General Manager,A?Sri Lanka Convention Bureau said, a??India is our closest neighbour and SriLankan Airlines has a good connectivity fromA?India. We are expecting a 15 % increase in MICE traffic fromA?India. In context to the current business scenario of globalization, this intimacy proves to be a noteworthy connection with regards to the economic, trade and tourism ties.a??

Sri Lanka Tourism is hopeful that the newA?Sri Lanka benefits from its renewed focus in the eyes of the world a?? and attracts the same tourists and travelers alike who have yet to experience the enchanting island.

A Sri Lankan Airlines Manager, said, a??With peace dawning inA?Sri Lanka,A?India is on the threshold of a never like before opportunity to do business with Sri Lanka. This is a big boost for tourism which entails a big investment opportunity for the Indian corporate sector in our countrya??.

His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared 2011 as a a??Visit Sri Lanka Yeara??. In keeping with this theme, a series of activities and events have been planned for 2011 to lure in more tourists to the island.

President Rajapaksa in his address stated that a??Having regained peace, my vision for development of tourism has become a reality. Every effort will be made and all resources will be provided to Sri Lanka Tourism to meet the target of 2.5 million tourists by 2016, as envisaged in the tourism strategic plana??

source:

http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/innernews.asp?storyId=114336&lmn=1