Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Few countries in the world are as rich historically and culturally as Sri Lanka is.Known as the land of rich heritage, Sri Lanka ticks off plenty of bucket list items for the adventurous soul as well as for those who want to drink in sights. Cute noisy local tuk tuks for travel and majestically flowing waterfalls on the other hand, rich cultural and dance shows and far spread meadows of green for wildlife parks characterize Sri Lanka. There are hypnotic cave temples to explore as we talk. Whale Watching, to Botanical and Zoological Gardens, to beaches and World Heritage sites, there is something for everyone in Sri Lanka!
Biodiversity:
With six botanical and four zoological gardens, Sri Lanka’s network of National Parks brags a stunning variety of landscapes and habitats, home to an astounding array of animals and birds. There are multiple conventions pertaining to maintaining and conserving bio diversity all year around if environmental campaigns interest you! Each of Sri Lanka’s National Parks is diverse in character, climate and wildlife. Sri Lanka retains a high level of biodiversity and wildlife resources, and is rated among the 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
Heritage Tourism:
Sri Lanka is jam packed with tourist attractions. There are clean and gorgeous beaches to sooth the eyes. The entire country is dotted with delicious restaurants providing local as well as global cuisines. You can walk the ancient steps of monasteries for a historical tour as well as stunning pictures. There are archaic Stupas and Buddha statues in Anuradhapura, and Dambulla is loaded with spellbinding caves, the Tooth relic temple and colonial constructions in Kandy take your breath away while the scenic Hortan plains in Nuwara Eliya connect you with Mother Nature. There is the Galle fort, turtle hatchery in Bentota and modern city tours of Sri Lanka for you to indulge in. Sri Lanka offers many activities, one for every visitor, including walking, cycling, learning numerous dance forms, and taking cooking classes apart from visiting their world famous coconut plantations just to name a few. Due to the heavy influence of Buddhism in the country there is a plethora of Historic monuments that bespeak its ancient civilization and culture. Go temple hunting in Sri Lanka now to discover an untold story of the Gods!
Role in International Tourism and Travel:
Realizing the positive contribution to the economy, there are a lot of government initiatives founded for the expansion of tourism that date back as far as 1937 when the Ceylon Tourist Bureau was established. Currently Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has classified Sri Lanka into several resort regions suitable for tourism development. The Sri Lankan government aims to mark Sri Lanka as Asia’s prominent island destination, directing its funds towards high-value sectors such as cultural and heritage tourism. The government’s Tourism Vision 2025, intends to advance administration and investment in needed resources and infrastructure, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the striving tourism industry. Already visitor totals have progressively quadrupled since 2008’s number of 438,475.
High Season:
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is not as seasonal as those of many countries, partly due to the fact that weather conditions vary in different parts of the island throughout the year. For example, the west coast and south are affected by the Yala monsoon from May to August, but the weather in the north and east is best for visitors in this period. From October to January, however, the Maha monsoon brings rains to the north and east, while the west and south are relatively dry.
December to May
Low Season:
May – August.
Success stories of women from SriLanka
Otara Norman started off as one of Sri Lanka’s most sought-after fashion models. Over time, the boot of her station wagon would be docked with export clothing all selected by Otara’s stylish eye, making her famous amongst co-models for her on-the-go shop. Soon she borrowed Rs. 15, 000 from her brother and mother to fund Odel, her very first store that would span into a Sri Lankan legacy. To meet the snowballing demand, the iconic store soon launched nine other branches and Otara became more involved than ever to make Oderl more than just a flagship store. Despite the country’s civil war and monetary plummet, Odel managed to withstand all adversaries and continued to maintain its appeal all the way through. Otara was termed “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Federation of Chambers and Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL).
Otara became famous not only for her stores but also for her work for animal rights and their protection. Embark – the brand dearest to Otara, introduced a whole range of clothing and accessories inspired by dogs, the proceeds from which went to care for the homeless street dogs of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Rupee is the unit of currency used in Sri Lanka, symbolized by Rs., or SLRs to distinguish it from other Rupees. The Rupee is sub-divided into 100 cents.
There is a simple E-Visa process for Pakistani Passport holders. It takes about a week for the visa to be approved.