TOURISM >>>

- Natural charms attract the visitor -

Beautiful beaches combine with tropical forests and a rich cultural history to make an ideal tourist destination

Marco Polo is said to have described Sri Lanka as "the finest island of its size in the world". Visitors have been bewitched by its charms ever since. The Romans came here and called it Taprobane. They were followed by Muslim traders who saw it as the island of serendipity, and duly named it Serendib. The Dutch opted for Ceylan and the British, who took control of the island in 1802, modified this to Ceylon. The island kept this name for almost one-and-a-half centuries of British colonial rule, which ended in 1948, and throughout the early years of the independent rule. It was not until 1972 that the country adopted the name of Sri Lanka, the historical name used by the Sinhalese people who form a majority of the population. Today, Sri Lanka intends to make the most of its many attractions. Chief among them are the white sandy beaches washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and shaded by palm trees.

The island is well renowned for its warm hospitality

In the interior, visitors discover that Sri Lanka is covered with extensive tropical jungles that are home to numerous, brilliantly coloured parrots and other exotic species of bird. The island is also dotted with religious temples and other historical sites. The most popular destinations include Anuradhapura, an important centre of Buddhism, the religion practised by most of the population; Mihintale, described as the homeland of Buddhism on the island; and Kandy and the Dalada Maligawa temple housing a sacred tooth relic. During time out from sightseeing, visitors can usefully spend their time indulging in the justifiably renowned hospitality provided by Sri Lankans. Take an Elephant beer at a bar; walk down to a seaside restaurant and enjoy a sweet, fleshy lobster caught to order by a local fisherman and accompanied by rice and curry; or just sit back and relax while these energetic people go about their everyday business.

Tourism is a significant contributor of foreign exchange earnings to Sri Lanka's economy, producing hard currency revenues upwards of $200 million a year. Sri Lanka hopes to attract one million visitors a year by 2005. The country has been unable fully to exploit its tourism potential, however, because of the ongoing conflict with the Tamil Tigers. Tourist arrivals in the first nine months of last year fell by 14.6 per cent. The Ceylon Tourist Board says numbers were down to 304,303, from 319,050 in the first nine months of 1999. Central bank statistics reveal that tourism earnings in dollar terms dipped 4.6 per cent. Nearly two-thirds of the arrivals are from Western Europe. The second biggest group of tourists is from South and South East Asia, followed by North Americans. The tourist board believes the industry could be much bigger. To that end, government-owned hotels are being sold off and the Bandaranaike International Airport, 35km north of the capital Colombo, is to be developed to handle more passenger as well as cargo flights.

The bustling capital, Colombo, is a city seriously devoted to the business of earning a living, but is also the first port of call for most overseas visitors arriving in the country. Close to the centre of the city and the main streets, the Taj Samudra hotel offers a blend of old-fashioned comfort and modern efficiency for both the business and leisure visitor alike. General manager PK Mohankumar says that his clientele divide roughly equally between the two categories. The hotel complex features a shopping arcade, banquet rooms and sports and leisure facilities, and the historic Colombo Club nearby houses conference and convention facilities for up to 500 people. Mr Mohankumar is in no doubt of Sri Lanka's very real potential to develop into a world tourism centre. "It is a genuine tourism goldmine," he says. "You will never get something like this any-where else in the world, and that is why it is rightly called Paradise Island." But he is aware of the risks attached to any policy aimed at establishing Sri Lanka as a presence in the mass tourism market. He thinks the industry should be aiming for niche markets rather than big volumes. "We should go for the high end of the market, so that we can reduce numbers and still be able to drive up the per capita earnings from tourism," he says.