January 6, 2006
Sri Lanka becoming more popular
The Tsunami hit Sri Lanka hard, but tourism is back. Vogue's October issue called the island one of the winter's "coolest tropical getaways" while Conde Nast Traveller rated it 11th in last month's 2005 Readers' Travel Awards.
Udaya Nanayakkara, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board said: "It was a tragic year for us in 2004, but tourism is an extremely resilient industry and we are working hard to ensure that the buoyancy will continue."
Lonely Planet notes that only some areas are completely recovered and travelers should keep track of tsunami-specific information (through the Lonely Planet web site). They also warn:
Recent skirmishes and civil protests have seen strain placed on the agreed ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE (Tamil Tiger) faction. Areas north of Puttalam, Anuradhapura and Nilaveli, as well as the eastern side of the island south of Trincomalee, including Batticaloa, remain unsafe for travellers. Pockets of the northern and eastern areas are heavily mined. The security situation in the Jaffna Peninsula remains uncertain. The A9 road to Jaffna remains heavily mined.I think magazines like Vogue are talking about going to a resort, coming home, and saying you did something exotic. I'm not saying you have to do something dangerous on vacation, but I feel that if you don't leave the resort you haven't done anything exotic. Posted by James Trotta at January 6, 2006 5:52 PM
Right on! Sounds like Jamaica and Bali. Why go a great distance for the same experience you can get in Hawaii or San Diego. I think it's just done so people can say they visited the place. A couple, I know visited Bali before the terrorism and never left the Hyatt Resort grounds. Foolish! Leaving Jamaica, I met people on the plane who had not even taken a guided tour away from their all-inclusive resort. I guess, I just don't get it.
Posted by: Ed Hahn at January 7, 2006 11:29 AM