Lanka gets positive exposure in British press

Times list country in to 10 classic wintersun destinations; Observer puts Sri Lanka among top 20 travel secrets Sun is tipped to shine on Sri Lanka’s tourism sector brighter this winter season thanks to positive exposure in the British press.

The Times Online has featured Sri Lanka among the list of 10 Classic ‘wintersun” destinations while The Observer included the country in a list of 20 Travel Secrets. Both articles encourages British tourists to explore destination Sri Lanka in the forthcoming winter season.
In the Times Online article the writer Chris Haslam laughs in the face of the impending cold and takes a fresh look at 10 classics
“We took 10 top winter-sun destinations – places where the beaches go on for days, the oceans are as pure as Plymouth gin and winter heat is guaranteed by God himself – found the classic places to stay in each, then added a fresh, modern twist. Because you’re worth it,” writes Chris in the article.

Following is the description on Sri Lanka.
“If Mauritius is marred by having too little to do, then the snag with Sri Lanka is that there’s too much.

Ancient temples, impenetrable jungles and singing fish compete with elephant orphanages, devil dancing and highland tea plantations, but ignore them all and concentrate on the island’s picture-perfect beaches.

The classic Remember the buzz when Carlisle Bay arrived in Antigua? The Fortress, run by the team behind Huvafen Fushi, in the Maldives, does exactly the same for Sri Lanka, sashaying into staid old Galle like some chic, designer- dressed beauty. And she’s a cheap date – embrace her for seven nights for £1,519, with The Private Travel Company (020 7751 0880, www. theprivatetravelcompany.co.uk). The twist For a serenely minimalist alternative, try Amanwella, 40 miles to the east, at Tangalle, where the only curve you’ll see from the 30 huge suites is the southern horizon. Prices at this luxury haven have been slashed by 50% this winter, so serious savings can be made. The price is £1,406, with The Ultimate Travel Company (020 7386 4646,(www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk).”
The other nine classic destinations promoted are Anguilla, Barbados, Cyprus, Egypt, Madeira, Mauritius, Mexico, South Africa and Zanzibar.

In The Sunday Observer article on 20 travel secrets it takes British travelers from the black mountains of Skye to the blue skies of Coffee Bay featuring some of the greatest travel experts in Britain.
Edited by Carole Cadwalladr, the article on Sri Lanka carries expert comments from Herbert Ypma of Hip Hotels. This is what the Observer article says about Sri Lanka.

“A safari in the pearl of the Indian Ocean is spot on for Hip Hotels founder Herbert Ypma
With everybody going to India and to the Maldives, Sri Lanka is the one in between that seems to have been left out of the equation. And yet in a way it’s a combination of the two. You get the beaches that make the Maldives such a magnet, and you get the culture that makes India so attractive. But there are other things about Sri Lanka that are unique and, as yet, largely unsung.

A six- to seven-hour drive south of Colombo is Tangalle, which apart from its spectacular beach, big surf and swaying palms is the gateway to Sri Lanka’s wilderness and wildlife. One of the biggest leopard populations in the world is a couple of hours away, and so is an elephant park with more Elephas maximus (Asian elephants) than you’re likely to come across in India.

Then there are the mountains and the tea plantations, and the intact colonial charm of Galle Fort, all of which make a Sri Lankan safari a sexy alternative to a Maldivian suntan.

Two of Asia’s most beautiful and original hotels, Amanwella in Tangalle and Amangalla in Galle Fort, ensure that it’s a Sri Lankan safari with style.”