2011 looks set to live up to its name as "Visit Sri Lanka Year" from early on, as tourism to the country continues to grow in the second half of 2010. A change in FCO advice, lifting all travel restrictions and UNESCO's decision to add an eighth Sri Lankan property to its list of World Heritage Sites means that more people are making Sri Lanka their holiday destination of choice.
Latest figures from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau show that visitors from the UK are up 51% in July 2010 compared with July 2009, with more UK citizens choosing the country as their summer holiday destination. Beach resorts of Bentota and Negombo on the west coast, close to capital Colombo, are welcoming a large majority of the visitors as they opt for Sri Lanka's golden sands and enjoy the clear warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Day trips and short excursions from their base on the coast, see visitors also heading into the central areas to experience some of the Cultural Triangle's highlights; Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy.
After 30 years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has lifted all travel restrictions to Sri Lanka, meaning that UK tourists are free to explore all that the country has to offer. The Tourism Promotion Bureau is keen to encourage visitors to the newly reopened areas to the East of the country, where visitors can enjoy remote beaches such as Arugam Bay and Trincomalee, and a plethora of wildlife at Yala National Park. They are keen to emphasise that Sri Lanka is a safe and affordable family friendly, soft adventure and wildlife destination.
More good news came as UNESCO's World Heritage Committee met and announced the inclusion of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka as a World Heritage Site, taking the country's total number of properties to a spectacular eight. The Central Highlands joins the popular tourist spots of Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Galle, Kandy and the Golden Temple of Dambulla. The area, which compromises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Conservation Forest, was chosen for its extraordinary range of flora and fauna. It is home to several endangered species such as the western-purple-faced-langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard. Its new status as a World Heritage Site should preserve these species for future generations and allow the area to flourish as a super biodiversity hotspot.
2011 has been officially declared "Visit Sri Lanka Year" by His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and promises to be a spectacular show of Sri Lanka's natural, cultural and historic diversity. Infrastructure within the country continues to improve as new hotels and better road networks are built to cope with the increasing popularity. If recent trends are anything to go by, 2011 looks set to start in style and live up to its promises.
source - http://www.traveldailynews.com
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