Fox Hill Super Cross on 19th April 2014

Sri Lanka Military Academy conducts Fox Hill Super Cross to raise funds to elevate the infrastructure facilities of the Academy to be on par with other Military Academies in the region.

In year 1913, a British ship by the name of “HMS FOX” (HMS - Her Majesty’s Ship) docked at the Trincomalee Harbour for repairs and its crew visited Diyatalawa as there was a sanatorium for naval personnel of the Royal Navy’s East India Station. Seeing the panoramic beauty of the area, the Captain of the ship was fascinated with the idea of leaving the insignia of the ship on a prominent hillock to remember their visit to this beautiful town, Diyatalawa.

Thus there appeared on the face of the hillock as we see it today, the image of a fox with the name “HMS FOX” and the year “1913” out of white granite. The famous Fox Hill came into being in this manner.

The Fox Hill racing track is unique and holds a prominent place in Sri Lanka for its location, salubrious climes and attractive surrounding. It is greatly cherished by the racing drivers and riders for its challenging nature and loved by spectators for the entertainment and fun it offers them.

 

Sinhala & Tamil New Year Festival- April 13th & 14th

When the sun moves from Pisces to Aries, the Sinhalese Buddhist and Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka join forces to celebrate Aluth Avurudda – their mutual new year.

This is also coincides with the time when the harvest ends, so the colorful fruit from the trees is collected in bulk to fuel the week long celebrations. Festivities are prepared well in advance and most of the country grinds to a halt as hundreds travel home to be with their families and stores close down in their wake – it can be impossible to track down the simplest of things just before it all starts.

The rituals begin with the cleaning of the house and lighting of an oil lamp, and woman congregate to bash on the raban (drum) to warn others of the incipient change in the year. If you fail to hear this, a storm, firecrackers is bound to hammer the point home. Families indulge in a variety of rituals which are carefully determined by astrological calculations-from lighting the fire to making the kiri bath (milk rice) bath, to entering into the first business transaction and eating the first morsels.

Once these are done, the partying really begins as families mingle in the streets, homes are thrown open and children are left out to play. The ubiquitous planting is dished out alongside celebratory feasts of kaung (small oil cake) and kokis (small and light sweetmeat, originally from Netherlands).

Aluth Auvrudda has become an important national holidays for both the cultures of the Sinhalese Buddhists and the Tamil Hindu Sri Lankans, and is unique as such , as it is not celebrated elsewhere in the world. 

If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka during this time of the year, please speak to your accommodation provider/ tour guide to see any events around. You will be able to participate in traditional Sinhala games and experience the essence of Sri Lanka. 

The Hot Air Balloon Festival

The Annual Hot Air Ballooning Festival organized by the Ceylon Air Ship and Balloon Club is held in March in and around Sigiriya, Hambanthota and Colombo with the participation of nearly 40 participants from around the world. The Balloonists follow a path around the country traveling from down south to North-central plains of Sri Lanka and ending in Independence Square in Colombo for final display of the balloons participating in the event.

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Sri Lanka Tourism Stall Wins “Best Decoration Award” at the OTM - Mumbai and New Delhi

Sri Lanka Tourism stall was awarded the “Best Decoration Award” at India’s biggest international travel show, OTM- held in Mumbai from 7-9th February and in New Delhi from 13-15 February 2014. Sri Lanka Tourism stall stood elegant at the exhibition, with its décor of water sports, Colombo city, beaches, wild life and festivals of Sri Lanka. Among the crowd of visitors that attracted the stall were the representatives from national tourist organizations, state tour operators, tour & travel agents, and online travel agencies. Countries such as Russia, Malaysia, Switzerland, China, Egypt, Thailand, Maldives, China, Sweden, and Argentina were among the other international participants at the OTM 2014.

For the third consecutive year, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau together with 26 company representatives from the travel and hotel industry in Sri Lanka participated at the OTM Mumbai and New Delhi. Sri Lanka Mission in Mumbai and Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi facilitated the participation of Sri Lanka Tourism at the event.

OTM is considered the largest travel trade show in India, connecting the global travel fraternity for more than two decades. OTM is also the only travel show in India with a balanced mix of travel trade, corporate and general visitors. It is the best platform for marketing to the Indian travel trade, MICE segment and tourists. Every year, OTM draws participants from National Tourist Organizations, State Government Tourism Departments, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Hotel & Resorts, Airlines, Online Travel Agencies and many other segments of the travel and tourism industry.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotional Strategy Highly Acclaimed by China - Wins the Prestigious Award for “Most Friendly Government Institute Worked with China in Year 2013”

Embassy of The People’s Republic of China has placed honor on Sri Lanka Tourism by declaring them as the winner of the prestigious award for “most friendly government institute worked with China in year 2013”. The award was received by Mr. Bashwara Gunarathna –Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism from H.E. Ambassador of China Wu Jianghao, in a grand ceremony recently held at BMICH-Colombo parallel to Chinese New Year Celebrations.

The "Happy Chinese New Year Art Performance" held at BMICH was graced by the presence H. E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa ,Hon. Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, Hon. Minister Maithreepala Sirisena , Mr. Lalith Weeratunga –secretary to the president . "Top 10 Sri Lankan Partners", "Excellent Construction Projects in Sri Lanka" and "Excellent Sri Lankan Staff" were awarded to the contributors for China-Sri Lanka cooperation at the Celebration. Colorful and diverse performances were staged by staff from both Chinese and Sri Lankan companies, local Chinese entities and Chinese Embassy at this occasion. Sri Lanka Tourism won the award for excellence formulating a novel tourism strategy for China during year 2013 and partnering and collaborating with Chinese authorities to gain their maximum contribution to successfully implementing the strategy in the Chinese market.

Sri Lanka Tourism carried out several major promotional campaigns in China by identifying it as a major emerging market. The strategic promotional campaigns of Sri Lanka Tourism were designed on the instruction and direct guidance of the Minister of Economic Development, Hon.Basil Rajapaksa, and secretary to the Ministry of Economic Development Dr.P.B.Jayasundara, using innovative tools and methods which were far away with traditional promotional methods executed previously. Accordingly, Sri Lanka Tourism carried out aggressive mega promotional campaigns in many emerging markets including China in year 2013 in order to increase awareness, product knowledge on the destination.