General Travel News
Middle East Visitors To Sri Lanka Up 41 Per Cent
Sri Lankan government officials say the number of visitors from the Middle East has surged 41 per cent, with August alone seeing a 104 per cent surge. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism is aiming to increase the tourism sectors contribution to GDP to 10 per cent. The tourism sector generated $400 million in revenue in 2008, only 2 to 3 per cent of the country’s GDP.
A target of 2.5 million tourists to Sri Lanka has been set, consistent with a plan for 2016. Authorities plan to increase the number of hotel rooms to 50,000 within the next seven years. There are currently between 14,000 and 17,000 hotel rooms in the country. Faiszer Musthapha, the Minister for Tourism Promotion in Sri Lanka, talked about ways to strengthen tourism ties with Dubai’s DTCM Director General, Khalid A bin Sulayem. The most important markets for tourism in the Middle East for Sri Lanka are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
More General Travel News
Latest Travel News
Featured Sights To See
What to do with Children in Tow
Barcelona, Spain
Tibidabo Funfair "The Magic Mountain" A superb funfair with several rides, it is an absolute gem for kids and is a great place to have some quality family time. Address: On Tibidabo Mountain Admission: Adults 15Euro, children under 110cms in height, 4Euro. Prices allow unlimited use of the attractions and rides. Open: weekends and fiestas only until June, then daily in July and August....
Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey
The first iteration of Hagia Sophia was built in 306AD to serve as Constantinople's Cathedral, but burned down in 404. Version two also burned down too, though several marble slabs remain. Construction on the current version began in 532 and lasted five years. It was built during the apogee of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian and you can really tell they went all out....
Campo Santo Stefano
Venice, Italy
Located in the city's most affluent residential areas, surprisingly, this square once hosted bullfights! There was only a stone avenue called a “liston” here, and was a very popular walking area. So much so that in Venetian language "andare al liston" still means "to go for a walk." Campo Santo Stefano is a popular meeting spot and outdoor fairs during Christmas and Carnival seasons are also held ...
Gesuati
Venice, Italy
Giorgio Massari was commissioned to build this monument, in remembrance of the day when the Dominicans took hold of the church of Santa Maria della Visitazione from the suppressed order of Gesuati laymen in 1668. The building houses several works by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770), Giambattista Piazzetta (1683-1754), and Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734). Address: Zattere, Dorsoduro, Venice Pho...