Most countries have national parks that are worth seeing. They provide an understanding of what the greener areas of those countries are all about, not to mention a chance to get away, relax and enjoy some greenery.

The Sinharaja Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka is one of the best national parks you could hope to see. For starters it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which should tell you just how important an area this is. It is also a biosphere reserve, which points to the fact that it is protected from many advancements of today’s world.

So what can you expect when you get there? Most areas and locations have their own peculiarities and features that cannot be easily found elsewhere. The Sinharaja Forest Reserve is very much like this and indeed more than half of the trees you will find there can only be found in this region. As a result some are exceedingly rare.

The area also gives you an opportunity to look for many birds and mammals which are prevalent in this area alone. And the wildlife isn’t the only stunning sight you will see here. The surroundings you will walk through and explore are simply amazing, and you will feel as if you are in another world altogether.

You will see natural cascading waterfalls gushing water into still pools. You can look down from some of the higher vantage points in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and see how the rest of the reserve below looks from above. And you can also wander along paths which take you through those rare trees and past some of the more unusual looking birds and other animals which can be found there.

This is truly a discovery for everyone who sees it. The Sinharaja Forest Reserve is protected and isolated in a sense from the rest of the world. But we can go in and see it as we treat it with respect. This is truly a delight to behold and it provides you with a very humbling experience indeed.

When you head to a foreign country it is natural to go straight for the coast. But sometimes it pays to head into the cities as well, because you can discover a lot about the whole country there.

Colombo in Sri Lanka is no exception to this. It may be the economic hub of the country but it also has plenty to delight tourists with – not least the quirky bazaar district known as Pettah.

Pettah has lots to impress you with if you love shopping. Instead of staying indoors and visiting one of the huge malls you find in some countries, this enables you to stay outside and meet some of the locals. Stalls and bazaars are dotted around and encouraging you to take a closer look. If you want real souvenirs to take home instead of tacky ones, this could be just the place to find them. You’ll see everything from clothing to craft items made by local people here.

Laksala is another good place to go for bargain hunters. As with Pettah it has stalls and delights around every corner. You won’t find the prices excessive and the range of goods you can buy here is very impressive indeed. Be sure to browse round before deciding what you want to take home with you.

Of course you can still frequent the more modern mall here in Colombo. But you will probably prefer the bazaars you have already seen if you end up visiting both to compare them.

No visit to Colombo is complete without seeing the harbour. This is an extremely busy harbour and it is an important part of the whole country. It has transformed greatly since it was first opened back in the 14th century. While the modern equipment does not provide as romantic a picture as the way things were done in the past, it is still a wonderful place to visit to see how it all works.

So don’t miss out on Colombo when you head to Sri Lanka next. It has a lot to reveal.

It makes sense that you would want to see the capital of the country you are visiting on holiday. But when you get a chance to see a capital that has been there for centuries you should definitely make a beeline for it.

This is the case in Sri Lanka, where the Sacred City of Anuradhapura first started life in the 5th century BC. It has not surprisingly been granted the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and since this is not bestowed lightly it points to the capital as a must see destination.

So what can you expect to see when you arrive?

Well a tree might not be the first thing you would head for, but you should definitely search out the Bo tree. The whole city was constructed around this, and as such it forms the heart of everything you will see. This tree has been watched over by monks for centuries, and it is believed to be the oldest tree in the world.

There is plenty more to view once you arrive at the Sacred City though. The Archaeological Museum is a good place to start, since it will give you the best idea of how Anuradhapura has developed over the years. There are plenty of relics and exhibits here to complement the ruins of the city itself, so it provides a nice counterpoint to being outside among them.

But one of the most eye catching buildings of all can be seen long before you reach it. The Ruwanwelisaya is a stupa, or a place containing relics of Buddhism. This particular example is eye catching for the fact that it is white, and since it is a full 92 metres tall you can see that it is rather on the large side!

Other sights in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura include the Thuparama Vatadage – a shrine – and the Royal Palace. And with many more besides you can see that you could happily spend a whole day immersing yourself in the history and delights of this stunning city.

It is quite simply one of the best sights in the whole country.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry said that December tourist arrivals to the country increased by 55.8 percent.

“Sri Lanka tourism which recovered after a year long slump since September 2006 out did its 20 percent growth in November 2007, with a 55.8 percent increase in December,” the Ministry said.

Arrivals that had decreased by 40 percent in May of last year, had picked up by year end, to finish the year with 494,008 arrivals narrowing the drop to 11.7 percent.

“January looked promising with the visiting Bohra Spiritual Leader and accompanying devotees filling up city hotel rooms at premium prices. The overflow of visitor demand in the city was also taken by Negombo, Wadduwa and Kalutara Hotels,” it said.

Tourism Minister, Milinda Moragoda hoped that 2008 as the year of consolidation. “Much effort will be laid on improving the quality of the tourism products while focusing on key markets such as India, Middle East, China and Russia that have shown a growth potential. Much will be done also to consolidate the conventional markets from Western Europe,” he said.

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Sri Lanka is the location in South Asia with the most active night life. One stretch of Galle Road in Colombo has so many casinos that it resmebles Las Vegas.

Gambling is illegal some South Asian countries and Casinos are unheard of. Sri Lanka on the other hand has her fair share even though they are not allowed to call themselves Casinos. So they call themselves clubs but under the hood they are fully fledged casinos that never sleep.

Discos and 'real' night clubs are a plenty. Until recently most of the activity was at the five star hotels. But lots of watering holes, pool palours and bowling alleys have sprung up all over Colombo in recent years. So hang around till the sun comes up.

Last but not least, alcohol flows very very freely in Sri Lanka. While the sorrounding countries are mostly dry, Sri Lanka has probably the largest per capita consumption of alcohol in the whole of Asia. This is despite ban on it's sale on Full Moon days (A religious holiday). So you better stock up on the day before.

Sri Lanka Tourism had played a major role in forming a Sri Lankan cheering squad in the Caribbean.

Tourist Board Chairman Renton de Alwis said yesterday that this has been carried out with the assistance of Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Washington.

Accordingly match tickets of 30 Sri Lankan students in the US who have currently travelled to Caribbean has been upgraded with the assistance of Tourist Board. “These students who were already in the West Indies were scattered all over in the stadium during matches but we have been able to get them in to one stand and thus created a cheering squad,” he added.

In addition various other items such as masks of Sri Lankan cricketers have been couriered to Caribbean to be used by the Sri Lankan fans. The lion which a lady had at the semi final match is one of those items sent according to him.

“The placards carry various slogans all centered around our promotional theme 'Sri Lanka, a land like no other,” he said. For instance, a placard showing Lasith Malinga's bleached-blond hairdo with the legend “a lad like no other” is being placed next to Sri Lankan masks, de Alwis said.

“Power of positive thinking is an effective thing,” he added.

Sri Lanka is using the cricket World Cup to lure holidaymakers as tourist arrivals have dipped by 16% in the first quarter this year.

“The exposure we have had during the World Cup is simply priceless for the country's image. The team's success has generated enormous awareness about the country. It's a shot in the arm for us,” de Alwis said.

An AFP report said Sri Lanka's image as a tourist destination has taken a beating since fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels surged in December 2005.In the three months to March this year, some 134,600 foreign tourists visited the island, a 15.6 percent drop over the same period in 2006, according to official figures.

March was the worst, with authorities reporting just 35,031 visitors, a 36.0 percent drop over the same month a year earlier.

“Hopefully, our cheer squads and creative visual material will attract more cricket fans to Sri Lanka when England tours the island in October,” de Alwis said.

Sri Lanka Tourism has rolled out a 500-million rupee (4.6-million dollar) campaign to promote Sri Lanka in India, Europe and China this year.

17 April 2007

Sri Lanka can increase present percentage of Saudi tourists, if it provides suitable locations which protect customs and practices of Saudis culture. Commercial Division of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said about 75 percent of Saudis prefer to travel with their big families and to be in an isolated place with their family members. They like to stay in apartment type hotels and expect facilities like separated swimming pools.

The Commercial Division of the Embassy said therefore, it is necessary to encourage investors in the tourism sector to build apartment type hotels in order to attract tourists from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. In addition building up of amusement parks and large shopping malls would be additional attractions to encourage more tourists from Saudi Arabia.

They further said a number of Saudis visit Eastern European countries for physiotherapy treatments. Sri Lankan spa owners and the travel promoters should create awareness campaigns among Saudis to attract more tourists.

Saudi Arabia is the eighth country in terms of number of tourists traveling aboard. Only 24 percent of Saudi tourists visit summer resorts in Saudi Arabia while 29 percent travel to other Arab countries and the 47 percent visit different destinations.

During every summer, Saudis visit other countries and their aggregate spending for foreign travel was over US$15 billion. In total about 70 percent Saudis visit foreign, countries as travelers.

During the period June to August in the year 2005 approximately 120,000 Saudis traveled overseas to spend their summer vacation.

“Their main destinations are Asian and European countries, the Embassy said.

During the year 2005 around 40,000 Saudis traveled to Malaysia and most of the rest spent their holidays in the EU countries such as France , UK, Switzerland , Italy, Austria and Germany. However only around 1400 Saudis visited Sri Lanka during year 2005.Most of them were in Sri Lanka to attend businesses and recruiting workers for their companies.