Last month’s Maldives Hotel and Trade Exhibition was something special. The two day event was organised by the Maldives Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) and filled out two halls at Dharubaaruge with exhibitors from all over the world. One particularly striking exhibit amid supplier stalls was a futuristic design for a underwater hotel with 21 rooms and positive ...

British Airways is to resume flights to Sri Lanka next year after a 15-year absence from the Indian Ocean island. BA will fly from Gatwick to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, via Male in the Maldives, from March 31, 2013. The carrier had stopped flying to the island in 1998 due to the country’s long-running civil war which ended in ...

Travel time between Colombo and Kandy has been reduced to just 30 minutes with the launch of a SriLankan Air Taxi daily scheduled service to the hill city. SriLankan Airlines’ Head of Worldwide Sales Mohamed Fazeel said: “SriLankan Air Taxi is transforming travel between cities and towns throughout Sri Lanka for both foreign and local travellers. Air Taxi is a ...

Just in time for those of you thinking of a winter sun getaway, Etihad Airways have announced a new service to Malé, the capital city of the Republic of Maldives. This new service begins operation from November 1 (subject to government approval), giving passengers from around the world more options to get across to the Maldivian Islands. Etihad plan to ...

Midnight’s Children – Film – Deepa Mehta & Dilip Mehta with Escape Holidays – Wrap Party Photo Specialist Sri Lankan Destination Management Company ‘Escape Holidays‘ announced that it is the official travel provider of ‘Midnight’s Children‘ the latest film by critically acclaimed film director Deepa Mehta. The film is an adaptation of Sir Salman Rushdie’s 1981 Booker Prize winning novel ...

Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture between John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), MMBL Leisure Holdings (Pvt) Limited and Phoenix Ventures Limited, signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka last week, to establish a domestic air taxi service in Sri Lanka with an initial investment of US$ 6.8Mn out of a total planned investment of US$ ...

Airbus A380 at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft on a flight from Sydney to Dubai made a scheduled landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake early morning yesterday for re-fuelling. The re-fuelling stop was scheduled before the flight’s departure from Sydney. This represents the first landing of an Airbus A380 aircraft in Sri Lanka. Emirates ...

Maldives Association for Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) honoured the travel and tourism industry with first ever Maldives Travel Awards. The grand awarding ceremony was held on 28th September 2012 at Paradise Island Resort. Awards for 21 categories including resorts, hotels, liveaboards and aviation were awarded trophies. Senior management members of top hotel chains in Maldives attended the event. ...

After signing an agreement with Weligama Hotel Properties Ltd, the Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand plan to open their first Sri Lankan hotel. Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa set to open in 2014, will boast 200 rooms over 11 floors. Marriott Asia Pacific president and managing director Simon Cooper was delighted the company was opening a world-class hotel on ...

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Wins ‘Best City Hotel’ – Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2010 Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Wins Best City Hotel - Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2010 Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo last night grabbed the coveted Best Five Star City Hotel award at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2010. Heritance Ahungalle won the Best Five Star Resort award whilst Best Four Star ...

Lotus Tower Another wonder of beautiful Sri Lanka is about to bloom in end 2013. The enchanting 350 meters high gigantic 11-storyed tower called, “Lotus Tower” will be rising up in the sky at the Beira Lake water front (Beira Wewa) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Lotus Tower is set to be the 19th tallest tower in the world and ...

Thailand’s Centara Hotels and Resorts will open two 4-star hotels in Sri Lanka in the last quarter of 2012 which will be under their management in the island’s South West and East coasts. “These two superb hotels mark our debut in Sri Lanka, a market that we feel holds great promise for us,” Thirayuth Chirathivat, chief executive of Centara Hotels ...

The Hikkaduwa Beach Festival is between the 27th and 29th of July 2012. The shores of Hikkaduwa are bound to be buzzing with fun filled activities. Thousands are expected to descend to the usually laid back town of Hikkaduwa in search of some good music, food and sun-filled fun. The festivals repertoire includes unique Hikkaduwa drummers, jazz nights and a ...

Soneva Gili Resort will cease affiliation with Soneva on 30 June 2012 due to the Management Agreement with Soneva coming to an end. The Resort will be rebranded and named “Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives” from 1 July 2012. Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives will mark the 12th property to the portfolio of HPL Hotels & Resorts, a Singapore-based hospitality management company, operated and ...

The Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) today revealed the country’s new tourism slogan and logo, after over a year-long consultation and design process, involving industry and government, they revealed. The new slogan is ‘Maldives – Always Natural’, which is accompanied by a logo highlighting the country’s unique natural characteristics. “The slogan and logo are designed to underscore the outstanding ...

The route to Kandy by rail has always been a memorable experience. But now for the first time in Sri Lanka the trip to the hills and back has been made so luxurious and soothing with the launch of Sri Lanka’s very first private super luxury service launched by Expo Rail. The Private Super Luxury Expo Rail Compartment made its ...

Sri Lanka - East Coast - Beach A slew of hotel projects and other tourism related infrastructure are fast coming up in Eastern Sri Lanka, once ravaged by war, to help the country surpass its last year’s tourist arrivals by a wide margin. East Sri Lanka has some of the best beaches at Trincomalee (Uppuveli beach), Batticaloa (Pasikuda), and ...

The Maldives’ much lauded sands and waters will host the country’s first ever international sports event this year, with the launch of an inaugural beach games event expected to run from 18 September to 25 September. According to event organisers, the Maldives Beach Games 2011 will to bring hundreds of athletes from around the world to the country in order ...

Shangri-La has purchased six acres of government land facing the Galle Face green promenade, a prominent landmark in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The development will be a multi-use complex with high-end retail facilities, deluxe apartments and a 500-key luxury hotel to open in early 2014. The purchase marks the entry of the hotel group into Sri Lanka. Shangri-La is also planning ...

Katy Perry and Russell Brand Honeymoon in the Maldives! Reports are in that Hollywood super couple Russell Brand and Katy Perry have flown to the Maldives to start their honeymoon following their exotic wedding in India over the weekend (23-24 October 2010). The couple exchanged vows in a lavish ceremony at the exotic resort of Aman-i-Khas in Jaipur, Rajasthan in ...