Sri Lanka among ‘3 Must-Visit Travel Destinations for Summer 2024’
Daily FT: Sri Lanka has been recognised as one of the ‘3 Must-Visit Travel Destinations for Summer 2024’ by a specialist contributor to the prestigious Forbes magazine.
Alongside Paros in Greece and Mauritius, Sri Lanka was highlighted for offering unique and compelling travel experiences.
“Sri Lanka, another island country floating in the Indian Ocean, is a land of verdant highlands and stunning beaches. Its appeal is a blend of surf and wellness cultures, similar to Bali before its boom in popularity and resulting over-tourism,” said an article contributed by travel and business professional Kathleen Peddicord in the Forbes magazine.
It added that the island nation is praised for its blend of surf and wellness cultures, with numerous centres for yoga, reiki and breath-work emerging in recent years; with notable wellness retreats such as Kalukanda House and Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort which offer luxury accommodations combined with holistic health practices.
“Sri Lanka is a place for nature lovers, home to 22 national parks, Its Mountains and thick, subtropical jungles support a wide variety of plant and animal species. Visitors catch glimpses of elephants, otters, sloth bears, and elusive leopards on safari. The Pekoe Trail, a 186-mile path that was completed in 2023, takes trekkers through the Central Highlands, including local villages, tea plantations and holy shrines. You can also explore Sri Lanka by train, traveling easy while taking in scenic views and enjoying a unique cultural experience. In the lowlands and along its coastlines, Sri Lanka serves up soft-sand beaches with frothy, surfable waves. There are beach towns with trendy hotels and cocktail bars, as well as quiet strips of untouched sand,” Forbes article described.
Mirissa Beach, known for its calm, crystal-clear waters and rock formations, shows up among Tripadvisor’s ‘Best of the Best Beaches’ for 2024.
Forbes article noted that unlike some popular tourist destinations experiencing anti-tourism protests, Sri Lanka is actively seeking to attract more visitors. “It’s tourism authority is investing in marketing campaigns to attract more people, while anti-tourism protests heat up in the Canary Islands, Venice, and Amsterdam, among other places,” it added.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka has been identified as a must visit tourist destination by many global travel publications while local tourism authorities continue to carry out promotional campaigns in key tourist source markets. Tourism authorities are also working on expanding the tourism zones in the country while also expanding the tourism concepts being promoted by Sri Lanka in the foreign markets. All these indicate an expansion in business/investment opportunities in the tourism industry. These opportunities range from the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required by the growing industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors. With Sri Lanka’s target of further increasing tourist arrivals to the country, there’s a growing need for the tourism industry to also evolve with the demand. It is this reason that Sri Lanka is working on attracting foreign investments to the tourism industry. Given the clearly growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the growing opportunities in the industry.