Delicious, innovative and most importantly 100% plant-based, Alibi is the place for your next night out. Kimchi dumplings, Heirloom tomato and zucchini lasagna. Hibiscus strawberry cheesecake. Are you hungry yet? All this and more are on the menu at Alibi at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Australia’s read more...
The only thing that can ruin an ice cream cone on a hot summer day is the way it tends to melt down your hand into a sticky puddle. But Canadian scientists may have helped find a solution. Researchers from Colombia read more...
For most people the bathroom is the ‘mirror’ of the hotel room. One of the first things you do upon entering a hotel room is to step into the bathroom. First impressions really count, and, if you are happy with read more...
Hotels are getting more creative and reshaping outdoor areas into income generators by offering a range of experiences where guests can enjoy the outdoors. Rooftops, which previously were confined to lounges and bars providing a twin-dimensional high-altitude, high-end experience with read more...
Smartphones as door keys, tablet room controls, touchscreen check-in terminals, zero gravity beds and self-darkening windows or glass panels are just some of the ideas travel experts are predicting will transform the hotel rooms of the future, and the unusual read more...
Attracting 180,426 visitors in April 2018, Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 12.6% from the 160,249 arrivals in April 2017. Of the total number of arrivals received in April 2018, Asia & Pacific was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri read more...
In his foreword of his book, titled ‘You are the answer: A journey of awakening’, author Paul Norman Tuttle writes that “The exploration of outer space, as mankind is presently proceeding, will not be successful because three-dimensional means are being used as the read more...
Switzerland is hardly known as a budget-friendly vacation destination. However, a new mountainside art installation-cum-hotel purports offer the world’s first (and possibly only) “zero-star” lodging. With each stay at the Zero-Star Hotel, guests are provided little more than a bed and an outhouse. read more...
A designer has to serve many masters who rarely sing from the same hymn sheet. It's the nature of the beast. We are recommended for a scheme by an operator, but we make a contract with the investor by whom we read more...
Despite the wet weather, 129,466 tourists visited the country in May 2018, which is a 6.2% rise over the 121,891 arrivals in May 2017. However, when compared to the 125,044 in May 2016, it is a case of two steps read more...
Overtourism is every responsible traveller’s worst nightmare. You may have recently started hearing a lot about ‘overtourism’. The term is used to describe a large influx of tourists during a concentrated period, often in the high season. This swell of read more...
I read an article sometime ago about Marriott planning to omit the desk and desk chair in the guest rooms. There were also several comments to this in the social media. The reason for this we are told - is read more...
146,828 tourists visited the country in June 2018, which is a 19.0% rise over the 123,351 arrivals in June 2017. Of the total number of arrivals received in June 2018, Asia and Pacific continued to be the largest source of tourist read more...
According to a new report released by the Local Data Company (LDC), 679 high street travel agents in the UK, shut down from business in 2017. The main reason attributed for the closure of these brick-and-mortar travel agents was due read more...
Conservation of forests and wildlife is a major challenge that Sri Lanka faces right now. The destruction of forests leading to irreparable damage continues unabatedly, causing irreversible harm to the ecological balance. Coastal systems, freshwater sources and wetlands are also under read more...
As its name indicates, the small island of Tjuvholmen was given its name in the 18th century (it translates as “Thief Island”) - because it was used to incarcerate thieves and other villains and was one of Oslo’s execution grounds. read more...
When a hotel is built today, every aspect of its design will be closely inspected. Earlier, it was confined to branding, the colour mix, lighting, ambiance and overall aesthetics, technology, amenities and the quality of staff. Nowadays, hotel design must read more...
It’s easy to guess how the Walled Off hotel came by its name. As you pull up the blinds in almost every one of its 10 hotel rooms, you will find yourself looking at a towering graffiti-strewn concrete wall topped read more...
We are surrounded by plastics. To escape from plastics in our everyday life appears to be not only impossible but also unthinkable. We humans have embraced the ‘disposable lifestyle’ and our unable to dispose it. Did you know that of the read more...
Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 6 percent in July this year compared to the same period last year. The month recorded 217,829 tourists arriving in the country compared to the 205,482 who arrived in July 2017.Top source markets- India, China read more...
As hotels intensify efforts to provide “what guests want,” bathroom amenities are being reviewed for their next transformation. Although chain programs have vastly improved with several popular consumer brand collaborations entering the hospitality channel, some programs are at a standstill as read more...
Design trends of past years brought us many great interpretations of guest room design. In general, the designs try to create a more spacious and generous feeling, even in smaller rooms. The furniture and installations are more practical for the read more...
The modular construction of hotels is getting more and more into the focus of developers and hotel brands. The biggest benefits are cost savings and shorter construction time. I have been hearing the reports of the dramatic damage of recent hurricanes read more...
‘If you’re walking through a terminal and you see a restroom is not clean – it’s everybody’s responsibility’ – Lester Sola, Director Miami International Airport. Restrooms make or break a facility and the new director of aviation at Miami-Dade Airport USA read more...
The question "Do guests want green hotels?" is provocative. Most people would respond with "Yes, of course!" But do they also accept that it takes longer to cool or heat the room because there is a concrete core heating/cooling system, read more...
1,582,835 tourists had visited Sri Lanka in the first eight months of this year ending August. It is a 12.5 % growth over last year when 1,406,854 tourists had visited the country during the same period. 200, 359 visitors in August 2018 read more...
Some time ago a press release titled ‘Painting Sri Lankan Hotels Green’ announced the introduction of the ‘Green Accreditation Scheme’ by Sri Lanka Tourism. The scheme was designed to encourage energy saving, discourage excessive use of water and resources and read more...
I recently asked my assistant Annalisa how she will reach the top in her career path and how we can guide and put a development plan in place for her. Her chosen field is going to be sales and marketing. read more...
Marriot International recently announced its transformation vision for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, the 3rd largest brand in its portfolio, and the largest outside North America in terms of room count. The company which introduced its new Sheraton guestroom last year, read more...
September 2018 saw a 2.8 % increase in Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals compared to the same period last year. The month recorded 149,087 tourists arriving in the country compared to the 145,077 that arrived in September 2017. In September 2017, tourist read more...
There is a direct relationship between resource consumption and operating costs for all hotel businesses (no surprises there). For years, sustainability professionals have been at pains to emphasize the close relationship between sustainability and profitability. For some hotels, sustainability has read more...
Muslim tourists from Southeast Asia and other regions are on the rise as the number of foreign visitors to Japan climbs year by year. In response, hotels and other lodgings, particularly in tourist-dense Tokyo, are increasingly offering services like halal read more...
Hilton has announced it will cut its environmental footprint in half and double its social impact investment by 2030. With this commitment, Hilton will become the first major hotel company to institute science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions and send read more...
When PATA was preparing the Annual Tourism Monitor, early results for 2018 showed a collective annual increase in foreign arrivals into Asia Pacific destinations. Sri Lanka with a Year-to-date, Year-on-Year 15.3% increase at that time, made it to the ‘Top read more...
In 2011, hotels under construction worldwide stood at 6,907 hotels and 1,257,296 rooms as per the “Global Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report," released bi-annually by Lodging Econometrics. The same report goes on to state that the total global construction pipeline read more...
Going green signal’s your hotel’s intention of taking sustainability seriously. Just about every hotel seems intent on giving out that signal and just about every hotel, especially the ones up the rung, is emitting a horribly mixed-signal. Very often, I’ve read more...
A lot of people who travel by plane are still unaware or get confused with the terms ‘direct’ and ‘nonstop’. They tend to think that both are exactly the same - like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. This confusion is common, as, read more...
Oct 1, 2018 - Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) today announced the launch of RiseHY, a new global program designed to pair the hospitality industry’s career opportunities with young people who need them. As part of the initiative, Hyatt hotels around the read more...
The presence of the ‘Balmy army’ during the tour of Sri Lanka by England’s national cricket team and 39,000 visitors from India (thanks to the Sri Lankan Rupee falling faster than the Indian Rupee), pushed November’s total arrivals to 195,582. read more...
I just returned from a vacation. I stayed most of the time in small boutique hotels with less than 20 rooms. I love these small hotels because they are very personal and make you feel at home away from home. read more...
In four years from now, you can holiday in space too.
Yes, it is true. A Silicon Valley startup, Orion Span, on Friday made this big announcement that they will open a luxury hotel in low-Earth orbit by 2022, according to read more...
Empty seats for airlines mean lost revenue. It is no different in hotels, where empty rooms also results in loss of income. In both cases it is irrecoverable. Empty seats on any flight or empty hotel beds on any particular read more...
2.33 Million tourists - up 10.3% over last year; February, March, June and November registered the highest growth rates in terms of monthly ‘arrivals’; December saw a record 253,169 tourists; India, China, UK, and Germany are the top source markets. read more...
Cathay Pacific Airways made a mistake selling first- and business-class tickets at a steep discount. Now, the lucky few who made the bookings will travel in style after all.
The Hong Kong-based airline said on its Twitter and Facebook pages on read more...
What do Royal Caribbean, Sea World, IKEA, McDonald’s, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Starbucks, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Disney have in common? All have adopted the plastic straw ban.
It’s virtually impossible to keep up with the growing list of corporations read more...
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of attending conferences both in and out of hospitality, where I always make it a point to sit in on a couple of the seminars. Often – and it never ceases to amaze read more...
A visit to Cathay Pacific’s Business Class lounge at The Pier in Hong Kong has just become even more beneficial for mind, body and soul following the opening of The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga.
Designed in partnership with The Pure Group, read more...
The newly appointed Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Board and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board has promised to bring in a minimum 3 million tourists to the island this year. Contending that, quote “We achieved 2.3 million tourists’ read more...
In a brief press release datelined 11th February 2019, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority disclosed that the total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during January 2019 was 244,239, which in comparison to January 2018’s 238,924 arrivals, is read more...
Hotel glamour is about the yearnings the hotel conjures in its audience, the escape and transformation a visit promises to provide. No one understood that better than Architect Morris Lapidus best known for designing the Fountainebleu in Miami Beach. He wrote: read more...
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)just made a major move with the USD 300 million acquisitions of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas.
Six senses will sit at the top of IHG’s luxury portfolio, complementing InterContinental Hotels & Resorts; the recently acquired read more...
It’s not just the interior of the hotel that’s important to guest perception; hoteliers need to ensure their properties’ outdoor spaces are up to par. Every hotelier knows the interior of a hotel is important. Guests want luxurious accommodations, impressive read more...
Virgin Galactic's tourism spaceship climbed more than 80 kilometres above California's Mojave Desert recently, reaching for the first time what the company considers the boundary of space. The rocket ship reached an altitude of 82 kilometres before beginning its gliding read more...
With Sri Lanka been widely acclaimed as a ‘must visit in 2019’ destination, a new slogan ‘So Sri Lanka’ launched, the roll out of the Marketing plans underway and visa-free travel for tourists from selected Asian and Western countries between read more...
Throw a coin over your shoulder into Rome's Trevi Fountain, the legend says, and it will bring you good fortune and you will one day return to the Eternal City. It is an essential tradition for millions of tourists. The read more...
Landing at Changi Airport, you kinda get that feeling that you are in one of the world’s best airports. Come April 2019 and it gets even better. The ‘Jewel’ - a distinctive dome-shaped façade made of glass and steel, designed read more...
244,328 tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during March 2019 is a worrying sign – especially in light of the promises made to bring in 3 million visitors during 2019. Alas, when one contrasts the slowing growth trajectory, the signs certainly read more...
Reflecting the brand’s holistic vision for the future, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts unveiled a new logo – one that honours its past and depicts its vision for the future, as the brand continues its transformational journey.
The new design reflects the read more...
International hospitality company Next Story Group is expanding across Asia Pacific markets in 2019 with its successful hotel brand Next Hotels and genre-defining urban lifestyle concept, Kafnu.
The Group opened Kafnu Alexandria -- Australia's first Kafnu property -- on 1st March read more...
PICTURED: Rendering for a linked rooms concept for Hilton's new Motto brand
Last October, Hilton launched its latest brand, Motto, slating it as an “affordable urban lifestyle” product spilling into the hostel space and aimed at grown-up travelers who seek efficiency read more...
Following the acts of terror that took place on Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) have continued to engage with high-level government officials and tourism stakeholders in order to assess the read more...
At about US$ 80,000 (€68,290) a night, the Royal Penthouse Suite at Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland is the most expensive hotel room in the world However, it pales in comparison to the US$ 791,666 per day rate that one would need to fork read more...
Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton and All Suites brands are launching the Clean the World Challenge in partnership with Clean the World, a global health leader dedicated to sustainability and water, sanitisation and health.
Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden read more...
Close to 1.4 million visit the Maldives every year - and the tourism industry is one the country relies upon. Without doubt nearly all of those who visited the Maldives would have at least dipped their toes in water. In read more...
Compared to the 180,429 visitors in April last year, arrivals in April 2019 dropped 7.5% to 166,975 due to the terror attacks on the 21st. The Tourism Ministry anticipates a 30% dip by year end, i.e. achieve around 2 million read more...
The world’s tallest modular hotel – which will carry a brand of Marriott International - is on track to be stacked in New York City with prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms. Once erected over a 90-day period, the 360-foot-tall tower will read more...
There’s never been a more important time to talk about humanity’s impact on the environment and the dangers we face if we don’t start initiating more sustainable practices. A number of world leaders and public figures have spoken about the issue read more...
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in May 2019 slumped to 37,000 after the 21st April bomb attacks. This is down 71.5% over the 129,466 total arrivals in May 2018.
To assume that, had it not been for those acts of terrorism, read more...
In those early days it was about putting heads in beds. Innkeepers both owned and operated their hotels. By the mid 1950’s, came the brands with uniform design templates that popped up no matter where you stayed. Today, hotels are read more...
Illustration by Brown Bird Design
Despite all the advances in flying since the Wright brothers first flight, the future of flying, particularly on economy aka Sub-Cattle Class is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The new trend in economy seating reverses a half century read more...
When Accor announced the opening of the Pullman Tokyo Tamachi hotel late last year, it also signaled the celebration of reaching another significant milestone – its 1000th hotel.
Since then, and six months later, it added another 100 hotels with the read more...
If asked to name two airports that tower above the rest in the world, seven out of ten travellers are likely to say Dubai International and Changi International – and not without several good reasons.
Dubai International Airport
Serving 89.1 million passengers read more...
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during June 2019 registered a total 63,072. Considering that only 37,802 visited the country the previous month, the increase is an encouraging sign that tourism is on the mend.
May 2019 faced the full impact of read more...
Looking back at just how far we have come over the past 30 years, many changes have occurred…including the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good
Today, air travel is cheaper, open to more people and we’re flying more often; it's read more...
Hard Rock’s guitar shaped hotel - a first in Hollywood, is due to open in October 2019. Founded on the mantra that music makes people feel good, Hard Rock – which boasts of hotels from Asia to the Caribbean, has read more...
So you want to build an Indoor Amusement Center (IAC) as part of your hotel, shopping mall or mixed-use resort destination development? Indoor is not new, but there is a new surge of activity — especially in the field of edutainment read more...
When one travels, there is a degree of uncertainty. Uncertainty, however insignificant, will accompany you all the way on your trip and beyond; that you won’t get ‘bumped’ of your flight, that your baggage will be on the carousel at read more...
Since 21st April this year, Sri Lanka’ tourism industry has struggled to survive after been bought down to its knees by the horrific attacks on that Easter Sunday. Before that fateful day, and after the cessation of the over three read more...
In June a minor fire broke out in a hotel in New Delhi. The hotel wasn’t named, however officials revealed that the fire started in the kitchen that was situated on the ground floor. In late May an F & B read more...
India's fast-growing budget hotel chain Oyo announced itself as the third largest hotel chain in the world in terms of room count. By taking its total room count from 636,000 rooms in April to 850 rooms in June – all read more...
Last November, Marriot declared that the central reservation database of Starwood properties, which the hospitality operator had acquired in 2015 for US$ 13 billion, had been hacked. The data breach exposed information of more than 383 million guests.
According to latest read more...
After the 21st April incidents, total ‘arrivals’ numbers (37,802), in May 2019 plummeted 71 percent over that of May 2018.
In June, the number of visitors (63,072) to Sri Lanka registered a 57 percent drop over the same month last year.
115,701 read more...
Compass pools have unveiled plans for a 55-story building named Infinity London with an infinity pool allowing guests to float 220 metres above the ground – one that is ‘not for the faint of heart.
Now infinity pools have been around read more...
The last time the fabled Raffles Hotel underwent refurbishment was nearly thirty years ago – in 1991 to be exact. The hotel in close proximity to the beach, opened on December 1, 1887, with 10 rooms. Within 10 years, it read more...
There’s no avoiding it. You will have to use the airport’s dirtiest spot at some point during your trek through the airport to board your plane. No, we are not talking about the toilets - those unappealing cubic spaces with read more...
Hilton Colombo Residences launched its new soap recycling initiative “Soap for Hope”.
Under this project, Hilton Colombo Residences will partner with sister hotels Hilton Colombo, Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi and Conrad Maldives Rangali Island to collect partially-used bars of soap from read more...
The Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai and of the tallest hotels in the world, it is the seventh tallest, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Despite its size, the Burj Al read more...
Following the Year-on-Year tourist arrivals decline since the terrorists’ attack on Easter Sunday in April’ this year, August’s total arrivals of 143,587, in comparision to the 200,359 visitors in August 2018 is a 28.3% drop.
Despite this been the 5th consecutive read more...
Nowadays when people travel they talk about their experiences like never before. The hundreds to thousands or more of narratives describe the places people go, stay, and do - all of which help millions of people make informed decisions on read more...
Figuratively speaking, anyone can become an interior designer. If you are one who likes to dabble with colours, fabrics, textiles and arrangements and posses an inborn flair for doing just that… it is a good sign. And if you dream read more...
In French, the word "souvenir" is commonly used as a verb and means "to get back to myself", or "to remember (from the Latin subvenir - to come to mind). In English, "Souvenir" is a noun - an object which read more...
It’s not just the inside that counts. First impressions are formed by guests who see the exterior features of the property even before they pass through the hotel entrance door. A neatly laid out garden can be a positive signal, read more...
Dreamt up by the award-winning team at Ministry of Design, The Prestige is the epitome of modern heritage - layering a contemporary interpretation of Victorian design with optical illusions and verdant local flora.
The Hotel is inspired by the brilliant art read more...
In comparision to September 2018’s 149,087 arrivals, the 108,575 total visitors in September this year reflects a 27.2% decline.
India, China, United Kingdom, Australia and Germany were Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets in September this year.
27% of the read more...
Colombo’s five-star hotel Hilton Colombo General Manager Manesh Fernando was appointed Area General Manager - Sri Lanka overlooking the Hilton Colombo, Hilton Colombo Residence and soon to open Double Tree By Hilton Weerawila Rajawarna Resort, Hilton Yala Resort and the read more...
Kristin Mariano writing in the TD issue of 31st October 2019, lists out five horror stories that ‘spooked’, (her words at this time of Halloween) everyone in the travel industry this year. Here is her event list:-
Boeing 737 Max 8 read more...
As per figures released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SlTDA), the total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during October 2019 was 118,743,. When compared to October 2018, last month’s arrivals were less by 22.5%.
India, China, read more...
The best GMs aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They’re humble, hardworking, and take a visible approach to management. By getting out of their office and into the hotel more often, they’re able to fully immerse themselves in the read more...
176,984 tourists arrived to Sri Lanka during the month of November 2019.
When compared to the 195,582 tourists who came in November 2018, this represents a 9.5% decline - same-month / year-on-year, and, is a continuation of eight straight months of read more...
For long our nation’s tourism authorities have considered figuring out a way to justify the return on investment to politicians and policy makers as key to serving the interests of the industry. The equation used to be relatively simple: x read more...
Shanghai Airport Authority and Shangri-La Group jointly announced the official signing of a co-operation agreement for the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Shangri-La hotel project.
Leveraging on the developmental plans of the Hongqiao Business District and Shanghai Hongqiao integrated transportation hub, the new read more...
Air New Zealand is trialing vanilla-flavoured edible cups in place of throw-away ones in a bid to reduce its waste. The plant-based cups are made from paper and corn instead of plastic, which enables the cup to break down in read more...
The number of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in December 2019 totaled 241,663. This is 4.5% less than the 253,160 visitors who came during December 2018. Last month’s performance denotes a robust continuation of the industry’s recovery since the 21st read more...
In celebration of its 100th anniversary on 19th June 2019, Hilton has released a report predicting the future trends set to dominate the travel and hospitality industry in the next 100 years.
In a report created in partnership with renowned futurist read more...
Everyone hears that some countries of the world are “cheap” to visit while others are “expensive”, but most people have a hard time quantifying this in a precise method. For this very reason, Price of Travel launched its Backpackers Index read more...
Our hotel industry is facing a double whammy. (A double whammy is when two potent and usually unpleasant things exist at the same time). There is not a single property in the city – country that can say it has read more...
On January 23, Chinese authorities introduced travel restrictions on three cities — Wuhan, Huanggang, and Ezhou - effectively shutting down the movement of some 20 million people in an unprecedented attempt to contain the new strain of coronavirus that’s caused read more...
Sri Lanka’ tourist arrivals for January 2020 totaled 226,094. This was 7.4% below the 244, 239 total arrivals the island received in January last year. The drop in total visitor numbers for January 2020 is partly attributed to the 15% read more...
Waldorf Astoria RAK has replaced plastic room keys with RFID-enabled room keys made entirely from wood.
The FSC-certified wooden room keys aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste as they replace 20,000 plastic keys that are used annually at the read more...
More and more people are beginning to enjoy the airport experience. Research conducted by Collinson in 2018 revealed that only 50 % of travelers enjoyed the airport experience. However, for the 2019 report, where 6,667 people across 11 countries in read more...
No fistfights over bathroom tissue and other commodities at supermarkets in the Special Administrative Region.
Being a Macau permanent resident, I can only praise the way the Macau government is managing the crisis in one of the world’s highest-ranking tourism destinations read more...
Largely influenced by the sharp drop in visitors from China due to the spread of the COVID – 19 virus, a total 207,507 tourists visited the country in February this year. Top 3 sources of arrivals by country, were India, read more...
Hotels are notorious for ghosts and ghost stories. Especially in old hotels. This is a story about one of my creepier encounters with something while working in one of the oldest and most famous hotels in the world.
Ever wonder why read more...
Long haul flights on Economy just got a lot less stressful.
Whether you’re a couple who’d like a bit of extra personal space, a parent with a young child or a parent with two restless kids and yet can only afford read more...
The reduction of single-use plastic waste is a hot topic nowadays and everyone who is someone is trying to minimise the amount of plastic waste in all aspects of their life – and that includes when flying. The plastics plague read more...
Gregg Hopkins credits his dad for giving one of the best pieces of business advice in his professional career. His dad told him “son, the key to long term success is not knowing how to survive the storm but learning read more...
Life in China seems to be fast returning to normalcy. In February 2020 specifically, China’s occupancy dropped 75.9% to an absolute level of 14.0%. Fast forward to the end of March specifically, 82% of employees in the F & B read more...
Come the hour…cometh the travel agent.
The industry most impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is perhaps the travel and hospitality sector. By all accounts, almost every industry on a global scale has suffered. What sets the travel and tourism sector read more...
Up to One million hotel room nights across the USA would be made available free of charge to doctors, nurses, emergency medical staff, paramedics and other front-line medical staff by Hilton and American Express, in partnership with Hilton’s ownership community.
The read more...
Marriott is planning to build the world’s tallest modular hotel, on track to be stacked together by late Q3.
The hotel will feature prefabricated and pre-furnished guestrooms, all to be put together over a 90-day period. The 360 foot (109 metres) read more...
After the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008, which globally triggered economic and financial harm, the COVID-19 crisis has become the 3rd great disruption of the century.
As the shock of what COVID -19 has read more...
Emirates in coordination with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will be introducing additional precautions. Passengers on 15th April’s flight to Tunisia were all tested for COVID-19 before departing from Dubai. Emirates are the first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests read more...
Marriott International announced last week that it will be rolling out a multi-pronged platform to elevate its cleanliness standards and hospitality norms and behaviors to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by the current pandemic environment.
“We are living read more...
FlyersRights.org, the largest airline passenger non-profit organization, was established in early 2007 by Kate Hanni after she was stranded with her husband and two children for 9 hours on the tarmac. Up until that time, airlines could keep passengers stranded read more...
People are told to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 lockdown. The guidelines call for people to stay at least six feet away from each other. This may work fine when people queue at supermarkets and only a limited number read more...
In the face of the present pandemic tourism is fighting for survival. The current monologue of those at the helm is also a non-confidence canter to those who made a living out of visitors thronging our islands’ shores of thereabout 80 read more...
For as long as one can remember, holidays were a blast. You get to visit foreign places, explore places of interests or simply chill-out, and if you can afford it - stay in hotels. In recent times, hospital visits were read more...
When the country opens its ports of entry in August 2020, every visitors ’ entering Sri Lanka will be required to obtain an online tourist visas prior to arrival. The online tourist visa now costing US$ 100 is valid 30 read more...
This nation is gearing to welcome tourists to the island once again in August hopefully in large numbers. So many pundits are clipping their powwow of how best to go about gaining the newly arrival’s trust in our inimitable Emerald read more...
R-Hotels have appointed Ravi Santiago as the new cluster general manager to head three Ajman properties. In his new role, Santiago who has been with R Hotels for over ten years will overlook the Ramada Hotels & Suites by Wyndham read more...
Pearl Hospitality, a Houston based company teamed up with Westin Hotels & Resorts to convert the historic 66 year old Medical Towers building in the Texas Medical Centre as a hotel. Called the Westin Houston Medical Center, the hotel opened read more...
As the industry recovers, the foremost priority for airports and airlines is the health and safety of passengers and staff. But, not only must they accept tourists and guarantee their safety. They must also guarantee the local populations’ safety.
When Sri read more...
The Dorchester hotel in London has announced the appointment of Mario Perera as the Executive Chef with immediate effect.
Mario Perera first joined the Dorchester as a commis chef in 1995 after moving to London from his home country Sri Lanka. read more...
Heightened expectations come with tension, apprehension and whatever else you might call it. But this is a first and therefore no amount of drill and checklists are going to smooth the runway from bumps, bird hits resulting in the occasional read more...
Passengers flying on Emirates, regardless of which class they fly in, would receive free coverage for medical expenses of approximately US$ 174,000 and quarantine costs of approximately US $ 116 per day for 14 days, for any passenger that is read more...
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global tourism industry, causing millions of job losses, salary cuts and uncertainty. If we take the hierarchy of needs – Maslow’s five-step hierarchy or the subsequent seven-step one, tourism would not fall into the read more...
The eight day is a hoax and the Beatles lied just to be different. In the 60s and 70s that was cool, to put a spanner in between establishments and established norms and say the most bizarre thing and get read more...
Jeff Kurtzman, a flight attendant at Hawaiian Airlines died on 21st July, after contracting the coronavirus when participating at a training event.
Sixteen others, apart from Jeff, tested positive for coronavirus after attending the course in Honolulu, organized by the airline read more...
First of all, let’s get realistic.
There will be light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s the good news. The not so good news is that the tunnel is going to appear long and seemingly never-ending. Yes, eventually, we read more...
According to the International Air Transport association (IATA) the risk is very low. IATA reached out to 18 airlines that accounted for 14% of global traffic and asked them about any cases of suspected in-flight transmission.
In all, there were just read more...
Most airlines floated their culture as their standard bearer but those that went international had to comply with norms that were already in place. Like the federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that oversaw vigorous safety standards that were in operational procedures read more...
An American expat in Thailand is being sued for leaving a negative review of a hotel online. The hotel claimed it was especially accommodating to the guest and waived a corkage fee for a bottle of liquor he brought into read more...
With only 32 of its 220 planes operating, Singapore Airlines will convert one of its Airbus A380’s into a restaurant. Dubbed “Restaurant A380@ Changi”, the unique pop-up experience will be open on 24th & 25th October, with reservations starting on12th read more...
According to the International Air Travel Association (IATA), only one in twenty seven million passengers reported of a confirmed, probable or potential transmission of the coronavirus that can be traced to a flight. Now that’s incredibly reassuring. Nevertheless, despite the read more...
The Byzantine and Persian empires lived through an outbreak of bubonic plague in the 541AD.
Picture: ‘The plague at Ashdod’ by Nicolas Poussin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Historians and scholars from different eras point their fingers at AD 536 as the worst year for read more...
The hospitality sector in Sri Lanka was one of the hardest hit when Coronavirus made inroads into our shores and inundated an industry that was well established, well run and made a positive impact on those travellers who came to read more...
Need to work on your golf swing? Then go to Thailand and spend the mandatory 14-day quarantine at a golf course. Most travelers who want to visit Thailand are deterred by the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Therefore, Thai officials want to make read more...
It’s no secret that like everyone else everywhere in the world, online travel agencies (OTAs) too have struggled to cope this year with the plummet of airline and hotel bookings. In the midst of all this gloom and doom comes read more...
Sri Lanka will re-open its two airports to international flights from 21st January 2021.
Travelers will need to show a negative COVID test taken within 96 hours before arrival, submit to a 1st test on arrival, (not at the airport, but read more...
Usually, when the calendar flips to a new year, we hold our breath anticipating some changes – for the better. Nothing really good happened overnight though. In fact, after COVID-19 literally took our breath from us, we continue to wear read more...
Illustration by KJ
2021 began with the promise of hope…that of the rollout of the vaccine, as the industry struggles to overcome the ravages of COVID-19. The resurrection hopes lie on the revival of travel – domestic, regional and international. The read more...
We all talk of and are constantly being told about taking hospitality to the great heights. This one beats them all. Axiom Space led by former NASA chiefs and astronauts has taken the bold leap to build the first commercial read more...
After both the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) re-opened on 21st January 2021, precise guidelines to all stakeholders including hotels have been issued by the authorities. The key guidelines for hotels that are eligible read more...
From the average demeanor and the overall enthusiasm of the hospitality sector involved in the tourist trade in the island nation, one could perceive it as - less realistic and more of heightened optimism. This is understandable as the ongoing read more...
In recognition of its commitment to providing the most rigorous and stringent virus monitoring, detection and COVID-19 safety programme throughout the end-to-end passenger flight experience, Qatar Airways was awarded the ‘Diamond’ standard. This highest level rating was accorded by the Airline read more...
The travel and hospitality industry is still feeling, reeling and kneeling from effects of the whacking from COVID-19. The current business environment has caused considerable pain and brought significant “pain points” to the hotel industry.
Vaccines no doubt will play a read more...
Nine countries have begun welcoming foreign tourists who have been vaccinated as a further step to attract travelers. As the global vaccination rollout takes place, these countries have taken the initiative to entice visitors to travel, thus propelling a faster read more...
2021 is upon us, and Covid-19 is still attacking the world with a vengeance. We’ve become somewhat desensitized to the havoc wreaked, and as numbers increase it’s business as usual – not that we can afford to relax, given that read more...
The temporary travel restriction introduced by the Government of Sri Lanka on travel originating from the United Kingdom to Sri Lanka due to the new Covid -19 Variant in the UK was lifted last month. “At a meeting presided by read more...
We have now entered the third month of 2021 and while the world of hospitality remains muted: where COVID-19 knew no geographical or political boundaries, some activity in aviation has resumed in Sri Lanka.
An air travel bubble between Sri Lanka and India aimed read more...
Early this year, Sydney’s Lowy Institute recently assessed almost 100 countries on six criteria, including confirmed cases, COVID-19 deaths, testing metrics, etc. and ranked Sri Lanka 10th most effective in handling COVID-19 pandemic. This is good news.
Equally good news is read more...
This will in all probability be the next industrial revolution.
An ‘out-of-this-world’ hotel is just a few years away from becoming a reality. And by ‘out-of-this world’… we really mean it. It will be a hotel that is closer to the stars read more...
Overall, the past twelve months have been devastating – leaving all us battered, desperately trying to figure out the unfathomable fog of directives coming from the government where at some point in time, things got muddled that it was like read more...
In an article titled ‘The best airlines look to vaccinate all customer-facing staff to rebuild trust in travel', Aviation consultant and expert Shashank Nigam writes, “Imagine boarding a flight where everyone has tested negative for the virus before boarding, and read more...
In the pre-COVID- 19 era which was until March 2020 or thereabouts, the documents one needed to go abroad on holiday were a Passport, Airline ticket and in some instances a Visa. Now, there is another certificate that one has read more...
How is Sri Lanka, with arguably the best public health system in the SAARC region, tackling the spread of the coronavirus spread? The statistics say quite well - when compared with its neighbours in the region.
The country discovered its first read more...
As the worldwide vaccination programmes roll out…some slowing down due to lack of supplies and others are going round in circles, certain countries – especially those that are predominantly dependent on tourism are opening borders and openly welcoming arrivals who read more...
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) recently released an economic impact report (EIR), which provided a mind-blowing revelation on the total impact of COVID-19 on global tourism, in financial terms. As per the report/WTTC, the industry suffered a loss read more...
Want to take a 139-day cruise aboard the Silver Shadow luxury ship in January 2023?
The arts-inspired World Cruise 2023 will leave from Sydney on 10th January to New Zealand before cruising out towards the Pacific, Asia, Africa, South America and read more...
After the country re-opened its borders on the 21st of January this year, 9,629 visitors were recorded in the first quarter of this year ending March. A total 4, 581 tourists (ave.148 per day) arrived in March, which is an read more...
What is the purpose of getting vaccinated against COVID-19? The answer obviously, is to get protected against catching the virus. Does getting vaccinated do that? The available evidence points towards a straightforward ‘yes’.
Dr. Abraar Karan, who is on the Independent read more...
During the presentation of the 2021 budget in parliament in November last year, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said the government planned to bring four existing institutions relating to tourism under the proposed Tourism Promotion Authority. “The existence of separate institutions read more...
In the UK, all non-essential overseas travel is currently banned. This means that foreign holidays are not permitted. These restrictions will not be lifted until at least May 17. For England, when holidaying is allowed, destination countries will be put in read more...
Pent- up demand, revenge travel, making up for lost time, unspent travel money –may all come together, to make travelers determined not only to catch up with lost time, but to also make their holiday as long as possible. And read more...
Squaring up on his several years of involvement in tourism and as a veteran of the industry, the former Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman, Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara does not see the need for replacing the current Tourism Act with read more...
Dr. Taleb Rifai, a former Secretary General of UNWTO, speaking on the way out of the pandemic, at the “Tourism Business Retention and Expansion” webinar in Durban last month, said, “Countries will have to work together if tourism is to read more...
The 1st hotel in Northern Europe offering a 100% digital experience will open its doors. A big step forward for Accor,- whose ambition is to offer a contactless guest journey throughout its network, using the best of available technology.
Accor recently read more...
According to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, in an interview with The New York Times, “Americans will be allowed into European Union countries starting this summer. Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, read more...
A joint committee, comprising of Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour operators (SLAITO), Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka (TAASL), Association for Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), and Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition & Event Organisers read more...
Bringing fitness into your hotel room when traveling on business or leisure.
There is an emerging trend where hotel guests want to carry out their usual fitness and workout regime without interruption - even whilst traveling, and, prefer to do so, read more...
A group of hospitality businesses led by the curator Graham Chalmers of the Radisson Red Glasgow hotel is encouraging members of the public to be kind, considerate and understand that staffs are doing their best while following strict rules.
The aim read more...
Between January and March, destinations around the world welcomed 180 million fewer international arrivals compared to the first quarter of last year, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the lowest levels of read more...
Those of us who have flown – especially regularly, realize that not every seat on a plane was created equal. Again, if you belong to the ‘frequently flying’ lot, you would know that not every plane of the identical type read more...
Sri Lankan Airlines, the national flag carrier of Sri Lanka has been awarded “Diamond” Standard by the APEX Health Safety (Airline Passengers Experience Association) powered by SimpliFlying for the airline’s efforts in ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitization read more...
Longer than the Titanic, wide (150 feet) as the length of a football field and looking like an impregnable hideout of a madcap villain in a new James Bond movie, Earth 300 is an ‘out-of-this world’ ship, with an ‘awe’ read more...
Pandemic, pandemic, pandemic. It’s the word on everyone’s lips these days. You can’t pick up a newspaper (OK, a digital one) or open up a social media feed without the terms ‘Pandemic’ or ‘Covid-19’ popping up somewhere. Aren’t we all read more...
Not only has COVID-19 altered the way we live, it has also changed the way we travel – particularly on planes. The persistent fear of the lingering pandemic has also taken air and some of the services travelers received prior read more...
The second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower, which happens to be the tallest skyscraper in China, is now home to the world’s highest hotel. J – Hotel’s (managed by Shanghai Jinjiang J Hotel Management Co., Ltd), inaugural read more...
Rising coronavirus case and death counts isn’t swaying Sri Lanka’s outlook for the rest of the year. The government, obviously aware that there are huge risks out there, appears confident that those are all reasonably manageable. It justifies keeping the read more...
I like writing stories about hotels and my experiences in the hospitality business. It is no wonder, I guess, in part because I grew up in a unique place. Guess what it had and still has? A great hotel. A read more...
Whether it is an overnight stay or a quick nap to overcome flight jetlag or even re-fresh oneself for boarding a flight after a long road trip to the airport, travelers to BIA will soon be able to book star-class read more...
The island’s travel and tourism bodies, reuniting under the ‘One Voice’ banner have joined forces to call upon the government to give due recognition when it adopts the proposed new Tourism Act. They have raised their voice because the industry read more...
Amidst dwindling reserves and the rapid local spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Ministry of Tourism has been given a target of $ 500 million in the form of tourism earnings to be brought into the country by the new read more...
A bio-bubble is an imaginary safe and risk-free environment that is used to host sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic where all involved stakeholders, namely players, officials, administrators, broadcasters, support staff etc. live and move around within a defined space. read more...
Fully vaccinated travelers from India will now be able to travel to Sri Lanka. As per a ‘Times of India’ news article, it is reported that anyone travelling from India, who have completed both the doses of either Covaxin or Covishield read more...
Denmark says COVID is no longer a ‘socially critical disease.’ Since the pandemic began, the country reports a total 342,866 infected persons and 2,575 deaths as of end August 2021. In recent weeks, the new daily cases have averaged below read more...
The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) yesterday lauded moves to ease entry requirements for foreigners, saying a quick rebound in tourism could help revive the COVID-battered economy and boost foreign exchange. Commenting on a request made by Sri Lanka read more...
Sri Lanka held the 77th position out of 154 countries in terms of the percentage of population that are fully vaccinated, given the first dose and the total vaccines administered as per ‘AP Hospitality Advisors’ based in Hong Kong.
In the read more...
For decades prior to the early 1970’s, air travelers could arrive at the airport 30 minutes before their flight, go up to the gate, family and friends in tow, show one’s passport and ticket, pass immigration, board the plane and read more...
As of 22nd September 2021, Sri Lanka along with seven other countries was removed from UK’s ‘red list’. The countries that were removed were Turkey, Pakistan, the Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya.
The long list of countries on read more...
“A great deal for you means a great deal more for them.”
For many vacation hotspots, COVID – 19 spelled financial disaster. Closed shops, plummeting visitor numbers and travel bans left tourism-dependent economies on the verge of collapse. Now that restrictions read more...
The total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during September 2021 was 13,547. Since re-opening its borders on 21st January 2021, a total 37,924 tourists have arrived during the first nine months of the year
The cumulative total in read more...
The longest commercial flight in Qantas' history landed in Darwin on Wednesday night after a route that took it from Buenos Aires over the coast of Antarctica on a near-18 hour long haul.
The repatriation flight was the return leg of read more...
Deutsche Hospitality and the Porsche Design Group are joining forces to present the Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels brand, an innovative hotel concept in the Luxury Lifestyle Segment. They plan at least 15 hotels in metropolises right across the world.
Steigenberger Porsche read more...
According to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism, a promotional campaign / special short-term program aimed at attracting at least 250,000 tourists to the island every month from November 2021 onwards will be implemented.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga goes on to state read more...
Toning down ambitions to attract 250,000 visitors per month effective November 2021 as announced last month by the Minister of Tourism, Sri Lanka Tourism now aims to attract 400,000 visitors to the island between October 2021 and April 2022.
He goes read more...
Dogs that are trained to assist a person afflicted with a qualifying physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or mental disability, i.e. defined as a service animal, can now travel on all Etihad operated flights or in the cargo hold in addition the read more...
In anticipation of a steep rise in the number of passengers using airports for their travel when the lifestyles of people revert to normalcy post-COVID, work on a new aircraft apron for Sri Lanka’s premier International airport, the Bandaranaike International read more...
Registered voters placed Sri Lanka 5th out of 20 best countries in the world that made the cut in Conde Nast’s 34th annual ‘Readers choice awards survey. It signals the kinds of places travelers longed to visit when they could read more...
According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 58 percent between July and September 2021 compared to the same period of 2020. That said, they remained 64 percent below 2019 levels. Europe recorded the best read more...
Sri Lanka welcomed 44,294 tourists in November 2021, up from zero a year earlier due to the COVID – 19 pandemic. The largest source markets recorded for the month of November were India, the United Kingdom, and Russia, followed by read more...
Sri Lanka will require the showing of a Covid-19 vaccination certificate compulsory for entry to public places starting from January 1, in a renewed attempt to prevent another spike in infections.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga made the announcement on Sunday, 19th December read more...
Sri Lanka’s dollar crisis is now threatening tourism revival. Industry sources warn that foreign carriers have not increased flights and may even cut frequencies because general sales agents (GSAs) and local airline offices have for months fallen back on their read more...
Despite the challenges posed by the global COVID pandemic, Sri Lanka just fell short of welcoming 200,000 tourists during 2021.
December’s total 89,506 arrivals – a record number for any month since March 2020, boosted the year’s total arrivals to 194,495.
India read more...
Hopes that there would be a rebound in the traditional markets in Europe during the latter part of 2022, prompted Sri Lanka’s tourism minister Prasanna Ranatunga tell reporters at a media conference in Dubai on 3rd January, that Sri Lanka read more...
The Henley Passport index (HPI) ranks passports according to how many destinations can be reached using a particular country's ordinary passport without requiring a visa ('visa-free'). The site provides a ranking for 199 passports of the world according to the number of read more...
Living in another country is a save-your-retirement move that more people than before are now considering. Many believe that looking for an affordable place to retire is a good idea – even if they think they have plenty of money read more...
The 82,327 tourist arrivals to the country during January 2022, despite several promotional efforts carried out by tourism authorities, was an 8% contraction over December 2021’s 89,506 tourists, which incidentally, is the highest number of arrivals achieved since the COVID-19 read more...
In the land of unlimited possibilities, the United Arab Emirates, and more precisely in Dubai, nothing seems to be impossible: For the first time, a luxury hotel, Kempinski Floating Palace, is opening as a floating building around which 12 likewise floating read more...
There are many different places a retired plane can end up in its afterlife. Some return to the sky to fly for other airlines, others are recycled for parts (around 80 to 85% of an aircraft can be recycled) while a vast read more...
Travel Daily, a global B2B online engagement platform for the travel industry, in an article last month, has gushingly described Sri Lanka, as ‘One of the most wonderful destinations to discover…” going on to state that, “It is a must-see read more...
Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka surpassed 90,000 in February, seeing a 14-percent increase from the previous month, as per official figures from the Tourism Ministry.
Last month also saw the highest number of visitors per month in the past twenty four read more...
Airbus's axed A380 superjumbo may be getting a new lease on life, via a quirky new hotel concept dreamt up by one of the company's former engineers. The converted aircraft hotel, dubbed Envergure (French for 'wingspan'), is slated to launch next door read more...
Despite the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, which has led to planned power interruptions and shortage of fuel, tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, during the first twenty one days of March, totaled 75,316 international visitors into the island.
The current read more...
Since January this year, International tourism continued its recovery with a much better performance compared to the woeful start to 2021, according to the World Trade Organization (UNWTO). Global international tourist arrivals was up 130% in January compared to 2021, read more...
106,500 tourist arrivals were welcomed to the island in March 2022 – the highest number of visitors in a single month since COVID-19 hit the world in March 2020. Sri Lanka’s monthly tourist arrivals crossed the 100,000 mark for the read more...
In anticipation of a busy summer 2022, Sri Lankan Airlines has increased the number of scheduled flights by 40% to match pre-pandemic levels and meet the growing demand for air travel as the industry continues to recover. Scheduled to commence with read more...
Chantiers de l’Atlantique announced that it has received an order for two luxury superyacht cruise ships to be built for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. The order is one of only a few new cruise ships contracts to be awarded since read more...
Up until March 2022, one of the most predictable things we saw was the large numbers of Russian travelers visiting Sri Lanka. Infact, they have held the number one spot in the ‘Top 5 visitors by nationality” list since December read more...
The fallout from the island’s economic crisis has impacted on the tourist arrival rate which was up until last month, on an upward trajectory. Daily tourist arrivals that ranged between 4000 to 5000 arrivals in the recent months have plunged read more...
The Australian carrier which in 2018 launched a 17-hour non-stop flight between London and Perth ,using Boeing Dreamliner jets is now set to set a new world record, when it operates the 20 - hour flight from Sydney to London, read more...
After the island recorded over 100,000 arrivals in March this year, the first time it did after twenty four months, the number of arrivals in April 2022, dropped steeply to total 62,980. Conversely, the daily average arrivals of 3,600 in read more...
Prison food and fine dining aren’t usually mentioned together. But various initiatives around the world are changing that, with restaurants located within jails offering both culinary satisfaction and opportunities for positive social change. Prison catering and dining programs aim to read more...
During the global onslaught of COVID-19 when it struck down everyone and everything that stood in its path, a very few hotels in Sri Lanka (too few to be counted with the fingers in one hand), barely broke even. The read more...
Wouldn’t it be great if something as simple and pleasurable as international travel could help end something as grinding and enduring as global poverty? After all, the industry was booming, growing at least 4% a year since the 1960s (with read more...
A faulty air conditioner leaking toxic coolant may have been to blame for the deaths of three Americans holidaying at the Emerald bay Sandals Resort in the Bahamas recently. The deceased who had all fallen ill and died as well as read more...
Built in the United Kingdom and launched on September 20, 1967 by HM Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) set sail on her maiden voyage to New York before been retired, after 30 years of service, in 2008.
Across read more...
When you fly long distances non-stop you save time. To fly long distances without stopping to refuel requires carrying more fuel. Carrying more fuel means taking extra space and adding more weight. A high fuel load leads to less space read more...
During the first four months of the year (January - April), Sri Lanka buoyed by the total year-to-date arrivals reaching 348,314, targeted 1.3 million tourist arrivals. However, the events that unfolded in April after the peoples’ protests, in the aftermath read more...
For the 3rd time this year, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has revised its tourism arrival projections for 2022. However, in this instance, they have come out with dual targets based on two scenarios.
SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijesinghe read more...
When ‘SimpliFlying’ launched the Sustainability in the Air podcast on Earth Day 2022, the world’s first podcast to explore the challenges that sustainable aviation faced -particularly after the adoption of the 2050-net zero resolution by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to read more...
The debt moratorium on capital and interest for Sri Lanka's tourism sector, which was granted by the government after the April 2019 Easter attacks, that was consequently extended since then, every six months has lapsed despite pleas from the country’s read more...
Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals in June 2022 increased by 8.8 % to 32,865 from 30,207 in May, despite the ongoing economic crisis, surpassing the 400,000 mark in the first half of this year, local media reported Monday.
According to the Tourism read more...
In the land of unlimited possibilities, the United Arab Emirates, and more precisely in Dubai, nothing seems to be impossible: For the first time, a luxury hotel, Kempinski Floating Palace, is opening as a floating building around which 12 likewise floating read more...
Shouldn’t airlines re-route when a flight is cancelled?
Airlines need to get better at re-routing passengers for canceled flights. Cancellations, flight delays and poor refund practices are leaving consumers and passengers unprotected and nowhere to go.
147 students from Sri Lanka, studying read more...
The Maldives has long been the picture-perfect paradise getaway, and even more so during the pandemic. Last year saw tourism return to almost pre-pandemic levels with the arrival of 1.3 million travelers, compared to 1.7 million visitors in 2019. And read more...
During my thirty plus five year’s career in the hotel industry, I’ve had the opportunity to fly a countless number of times to several countries - mainly on business as well as when going abroad to holiday.
In that time, I’ve read more...
A country's reputation can have a huge impact on its success as a tourist destination. Travelers will often have a preconceived idea about a place, taken from the news and images presented by media and from information and travel advisories read more...
In the 1980s, American Airlines sold an unlimited, first-class ticket for life. But they didn't account for super-travelers like Jacques Vroom and Steve Rothstein. Three decades ago, 28 lucky travelers managed to snag the greatest travel deal in history, courtesy read more...
A total 47,293 visitors to Sri Lanka was recorded during the month of July 2022. This represented a near 44% month-on-month increase over June’s 32,856 arrivals.
6,013 Indians arrived in July 2022, putting India at the top of the ‘highest number read more...
When a flight crew is terminated from his or her job, what comes to mind is for something heinous like smuggling contraband goods, being tested positive for illegal drug use or in the case of a United Airlines flight attendant, read more...
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is looking to attract foreign investors to acquire shares of local hotels to help them secure funding to repay their debts, stated SLTDA Chairman Priyantha Fernando.
In an interview that aired on Derana a few weeks read more...
Pre-pandemic, foreign income from tourism to New Zealand was more than what the dairy industry generated. However, concerns were voiced that the increasing numbers of international visitors resulted in overcrowding, straining existing infrastructure and damaging the nation’s green image.
As New read more...
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando announced the issuance of a 5-year multiple entry visa with 6 months stay each time, for travellers from 35 countries in a bid to boost tourism. He also said that tourism has picked read more...
Boom Supersonic is a Colorado-based startup that's leading the development of supersonic aircraft to usher in a new era of commercial air travel. In June 2021, it partnered with United Airlines, which ordered 15 of Boom's $200 million aircraft, Overture, read more...
Aman’s 83-suite hotel, located at the acquired 100-year old Crown Building at 57th and Fifth Avenue around the corner of Billionaires row, opened on Aug.2nd, though still halfway under construction.
Years of hype has made the Aman New York, the most read more...
Is 2022 the year of the airplane meltdown?
Consequent to airlines witnessing a surge in violent and sometimes downright dangerous behaviour by stressed out passengers, a summer of “revenge travel” that created a surge in demand combined with a underprepared airline industry read more...
A California man was charged after he allegedly punched a flight attendant in the back of the head on an American Airlines flight. Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, of Westminster, California, is charged with interference with flight crew members and read more...
Provisional data released by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) indicates that a total 29,802 tourists arrived in September 2022. Arrivals in September fell 21% below that of August’ (previous month) and was by far the lowest this year.
Making the read more...
Air Ceylon baggage sticker. Image: A Davey via Flickr.
Before we talk about what happened to the former Sri Lankan Carrier Air Ceylon, it is necessary to understand a little bit about the history of Sri Lanka. Located in the Indian Ocean southeast read more...
Taking place quadrennially, the FIFA Men’s World Cup sees 32 nations compete against each other for the coveted prize. With continental qualification pathways paving the way to the eventual exciting final event, it would bring thousands of fans from all read more...
From driving a car down Rome's Spanish Steps to surfing down the Grand Canal in Venice and smashing sculptures in the Vatican, some tourists this summer have been treating Italy as if it's their personal theme park.
Now, following a Czech tourist sunbathing topless on a war read more...
Oh boy, that’s a fun one! That would be Robert Timm and John Cook aboard the Hacienda in 1958.Timm and Cook (not to be confused with Tim Cook, that’s a whole other story) spent almost 65 days, more specifically 64 days read more...
Sri Lanka recorded 42,026 arrivals in October 2022, which, although nearly double the 22,771 arrivals figure in 2021 for the same month, is disappointingly low and contrary to Sri Lanka Tourism’s predictions.
The top five markets to emerge for the country read more...
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently released its Tourism in 2023 report. This report assesses the growth prospects, top risks and key trends facing the sector next year. The report finds that global tourism arrivals will increase by 30% in 2023, following read more...
Offering neither a window view, nor easy access to the lavatory, the middle seat is indisputably the least desirable spot to sit on a flight.
In fact, only 0.6% of more than 7,500 voters polled preferred or, perhaps more likely, accidentally read more...
Simple Flying recently spoke with the airline's leadership about its fleet.
SriLankan Airlines last year shared that it is considering the Airbus A330neo and A350 as options to join its facilities as part of its fleet modernization process. Yet, heading into 2023, there read more...
The first powered plane flight, performed by the Wright Brothers over the windswept beach of North Carolina's Kitty Hawk in 1903, covered 120 feet. That historic flight would fit entirely in the cargo hold of the Antonov AN-225 Mriya, the read more...
Despite its economic woes, the resplendent isle of Sri Lanka is once again open to welcoming visitors. A safe and calm environment combined with the relaxation of travel advisories by several key counties, is seeing visitor numbers significantly increasing.
Tourist arrivals read more...
A cruise ship passenger had been missing for hours before he was rescued from sea waters by the U.S. Coast Guard off of Louisiana's southeast coast on Thursday (24th November’22) evening.
A 28-year-old man who went overboard while on a Carnival read more...
The island welcomed 59,759 tourist arrivals in November 2022 - the third highest number of visitors in a single month, since March’22’s 106,500 and April’s 62,980, respectively. Sri Lanka’s monthly tourist arrivals crossed the 50,000 mark for the first time read more...
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, which has been taking successive hits ever since the Easter Sunday incidents in 2019, is recovering at a rate “far below average”, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
Speaking to The Morning Business, SLTDA Chairman read more...
Plans to attract 1.5 million international arrivals in 2023 earning US$ 5 billion were revealed recently by Sri Lanka Tourism officials. The island’s Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando told journalist at a special media briefing held on 1st December, “ read more...
Located in a building designed by Goettsch Partners, the pool sits on the 71st floor.
Perhaps what makes swimming most relaxing—besides the weightlessness from the water—are the views. Whether at a beach, club, backyard or even the highest outdoor pool in the world, looking out at read more...
The huge saltwater aquarium in the hotel located in a busy district of Germany's capital suddenly burst open. Two people were injured by shards of glass and the explosive force of the aquarium's failure sent parts of the building's facade read more...
Finding passengers sleeping in an airport terminal is not unusual. Some people book flights that require them to remain overnight at the airport to catch flights, others, because they perhaps missed their connecting flight or when flights are cancelled owing read more...
China announced this week it will drop quarantine requirements for international arrivals and resume outbound travel for Chinese citizens, which had previously been banned. It led to a surge of eager travelers booking flights out of the country, hungry for a trip after read more...
Referring to it as the “3-2-1” rule, Sky Harbour provided some advice a few years ago, which goes like this; Be at the airport ticket counter three hours before your flight to check-in, be in line at the airport security read more...
91,961 tourist arriving in the month of December 2022 enabled Sri Lanka to close last year (Jan - Dec), with a total 719,978 international travelers as having visited the country.
December’s total arrivals number was the third highest month for 2022 read more...
As China lifted most of its travel restrictions and waived mandatory quarantine for inbound travelers to mainland China on Sunday, 8th January, millions of tourists are poised to step into the world’s tourism stage, raising hopes of a rebound for the read more...
The introduction of Spark by Hilton fills an open space in the industry by creating a new premium economy lodging option to meet the needs of even more guests and owners seeking value, quality and consistency.
Spark by Hilton provides a read more...
One thing that hotel guests have always worried about is theft. When housekeeping staff are permitted (even expected) to enter your room and move your things around to clean, that worry is top of mind.
Just recently there was a news read more...
The aviation section of the consultancy firm Cirium, Ascend has forecasted that the global passenger and freight market will require around 44,500 new aircraft, worth US$2.9 trillion for the next twenty years. This is not only to cope with the read more...
The 102,545 tourist arrivals to the country during January 2023 was a 24.6 %, over January 2022’s 82,327 tourists.
Russia emerged as the largest tourist traffic generator accounting for 24.6 % (25,254 arrivals) of the total arrivals to the country. The read more...
ETOPS which stands for Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards is an international rating for the maximum length of time an aircraft is certified to fly with one of its engines operating.
In 2003, and at a time that rating was 180 read more...
Is it 10 kilometres or perhaps 20? What about 121 kilometres - because that's the distance an Airbus A330 travelled in 2001 after both its engines failed. The Air Transat aircraft was en route from Toronto's Pearson International Airport to read more...
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka totaled 107, 639 in February 2023.
This was nearly 5% more than the total number of visitors that arrived in January, and despite February having three days less than the previous month’s.
Same Month, year-on-year, it was read more...
As described by Matthew Novet:He was returning to New York from a business trip in London. It was an early evening flight. While waiting passengers were told the plane was having a problem with the Automatic Fueling System, but that read more...
Cabin crew members at Thai Airways have been suspended following a complaint from a passenger posted on social media platform TikTok. Flight attendants failed to clear passenger tray tables before landing, a clear violation of safety procedures.
Cabin crew fail to read more...
Although the resplendent island’s tourism industry was among the first to recover, it seems it’s the last to market.
An interesting storyline titled “Why Sri Lanka needs to tell the world it’s open for business” appeared during mid-March, in the Skift, read more...
Getting a free upgrade on a flight is a hard to beat thrill. They're the Holy Grail for regular travelers but while rare, flight upgrades do exist. The chances of getting one though, unless earned, can be slim. But what about read more...
Tourist arrivals reached 125,000 arrivals during March’23, the highest achievement within a single month, year - to - date (YTD). This is an increase of 16.4 % as of 2022 March.
The accumulated first Quarter total YTD, (Jan – March) in read more...
Been seduced by images of an aircraft cabin with spacious seats filled with smiling people that didn't quite gel with reality? Who hasn't, but when that happened to a New Zealand couple, they decided to get even.
Anticipating luxurious, lie-flat seats, read more...
According to statistics maintained by Delta Air Lines, it takes its passengers an average 22 years to fly one million miles. During the past thirty years, one flyer, only identified as Todd O (Delta didn’t disclose his last name), has read more...
The 29th of March 2023 marked the centenary of the return to New York by Cunard’s ship Laconia after it completed the first ever continuous circumnavigation of the globe by a passenger liner; a journey that began from New York read more...
The UAE is already in the limelight for its glass skyscrapers, but what is less known is that Dubai is home to seven of the current ten tallest hotels in the world, of which the top five are in the read more...
Sri Lanka Tourism is witnessing a continuation of the resurgence of tourist arrivals as 105,498 international visitors arrived during the month of April 2023. The destination also saw the cumulative arrivals cross the 400,000 mark on April 20, with the read more...
Chinese couple takes revenge on Airbnb host in South Korea who refused to cancel booking by leaving taps running, lights and gas on.
A Chinese couple angered by an Airbnb host’s refusal to cancel booking wasted water, electricity and gas while read more...
Emboldened by the steady pace of recovery which saw the island welcome over 100,000 travelers, every month between January and April 2023, Sri Lanka decided last month to hike its 2023 target of 1.5 million visitors to 2 million.
The raising read more...
The space race between billionaires, Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and Elon Musk (SpaceX), has been going on for over two decades.
In the race to be the first to fly paying customers into space, Virgin Galactic read more...
United Airlines now claims to be the world’s largest airline.
United Airlines CEO Kirby Claims United Now Largest Airline In The World.
In a video message to employees reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby proudly proclaimed that United read more...
When in Paris this year and wondering where to get the best baguette, go to the bakery "Au levain des Pyrénées" in the 20th district of the capital.
On 10th May Tharshan Selvarajah, a baker of Sri Lankan origin who immigrated read more...
Interim data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) reveals that in May 2023, the island nation welcomed a total 83, 309 international visitors.
When compared with the corresponding month in 2022, the arrivals increased by a mammoth 175.5 percent year-on-year read more...
Today’s travelers, especially younger adults are taking their love of nature during childhood, along with them. Consequently, the success of many hospitality organisations’ depends on their preserving the natural, historical and cultural attractions that tempt tourists to visit their destinations.
Being read more...
Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) on the invitation from the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB) will be holding its 67th Convention and Exhibition in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 6 – 9, 2023 in Association with Sri Lanka read more...
This is a further step towards Iberostar's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, 20 years ahead of the industry target. The Iberostar Cristina hotel, located in Playa de Palma (Mallorca), is the Group's fourth hotel to operate with CO2 emission-free read more...
In a bid to boost economic activities, Sri Lanka is planning to allow free visas for South Asian countries soon.
“We are in the process of finalising the details to extend the free visa for SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional read more...
An investigative report carried out recently by the ‘Sunday Times’ journalist Namini Wijedasa reveals that several foreigners on tourist visas have set up unauthorized businesses , such as restaurants, guesthouses, surf schools and yoga camps in the Southern and Eastern read more...
Flight attendants don’t generally dread flights that are full. They dread flights which are packed with kids and those who aren’t used to traveling with kids around them.
Frequent flyers know that turbulence is a common occurrence on a plane. It’s when read more...
Talk about an air-head moment!
A Delta flight from JFK to Los Angeles last month made an unscheduled landing in Utah due to technical difficulties — only to have an air slide accidentally deploy inside the plane once it was on the ground.
A read more...
According to a Travel Health Index carried out in May 2023 by ‘Skift’, which is one of the largest industry intelligence platform providing media, insights and marketing to key sectors of travel, all indications seem to point towards a full global read more...
Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during June 2023 registered a total 100,388. The increase in the number of arrivals reflects a 59% increase over the arrivals in June 2019 - the last pre-pandemic year. June 2023’s arrivals are also the read more...
The mobile phone you hold that was made in China, the fancy Italian shoes you wear, the elegant cane chair manufactured in Indonesia that you’re sitting on, the Volvo car from Sweden that you drive – chances are these came read more...
On 14 July 2023, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) strongly encouraged the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka to expand its aviation industry. Specifically, the organization requested that the island nation develop a blueprint to generate both economic growth and prosperity read more...
Hey tourists — have you ever wandered into a shop to look around and take a picture?
One store in Barcelona, Spain, recently put up a sign for you.
If you happen to pass by Queviures Múrria, a historic deli and retail read more...
In January 2024, the ‘Icon of the seas’ will begin service as the world’s largest cruise vessel. The 20-deck floating resort will feature 2,805 rooms to sleep 7,600 guests. According to owners room bookings for the US$2 billion ship are read more...
Sri Lanka, best known for its breathtaking landscapes, warm hospitality, and rich culture, has faced its fair share of challenges (to say the least) recently.
Intense political turmoil resulting from an economic crisis — with the impact of COVID-19 not helping matters — read more...
A few things I’ve learned.
I went on my first cross-Atlantic flight when I was 3.
Since then, I’ve traveled to more than 50 countries across 5 continents.
Here are the best pieces of travel advice I’ve collected over the years most people read more...
July 2023’s 143,039 tourist arrivals is not only the highest number to be recorded in a single month in the seven months of the current year, but are by far, the largest monthly arrivals total since the country opened its read more...
In October 2013, Danish man Torbjørn “Thor” Pedersen set out on a mission to visit every country in the world without flying. After he visited the Maldives which happened to be the 203rd and final country on his marathon journey read more...
The island nation offers one of the most scenic train rides in the globe.
I’m not bothered by a little discomfort. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, there is an occasional discomfort. As I am preoccupied with other things, I am unfazed by read more...
It’s not been the easiest season for Europe. Amsterdam is banning cruise ships. The Acropolis is limiting visitors.. And the wildfires in Greece have prompted the country’s prime minister to offer free Rhodes vacations in 2024 to everyone whose trip was affected.
Travelers trying to be read more...
Aimed at elevating the island nation’s capital as a high-end tourist destination, prices of Sri Lanka’s Colombo city hotels will be soon increased under a Minimum Room Rate (MRR) policy. However, opinions between local hoteliers and tour / travel operators read more...
Police in Paris arrested a man for jumping off the Eiffel Tower with a parachute on Thursday, 17th August, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
A man scaled a pillar of the iconic landmark early morning local time, BFMTV reported, citing police sources.
The tower’s read more...
British coffee shop chain Pret a Manger was fined £800,000 (just over $1 million) after an employee was trapped in a freezer for more than two hours at one of its London stores and was later treated for suspected hypothermia. read more...
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka welcomed 138,405 tourists in August 2023.
The highest number of tourists who came last month, were from India with 30,593 (22%), followed by 15,035 from the United Kingdom (11%), China read more...
Everything you need to know about flying Singapore Airlines.
Among travelers, Singapore Airlines has a sterling reputation. The carrier has been named the best international airline by Travel + Leisure readers for 27 years running. It’s not rocket science to see how this happened: the read more...
Have you ever dreamt of trading the dull concrete skyscrapers of the city for a serene beach or a picturesque mountain view? Well, thanks to the rise of remote work, now you can, and it could make you wealthier too!
With read more...
Balinese police are investigating the catastrophic failure of a lift that left five hotel workers dead at a resort on Friday, 1st September 2023. All five employees who died were from the housekeeping department and their ages ranged between 19 read more...
Is this going to be a never-ending 3-year cruise?
When Life at Sea Cruises announced a world cruise specifically tailored to guests wanting to cruise, live, work and explore from their Home at Sea, the opportunity to spend 36 continuous months read more...
Big 7 Travel in the US, annually compiles a list ranking 50 of the world’s best islands to visit each year. The islands to visit in 2023 range from Sommarøy, which means ‘Summer Island’, a Northern Lights hotspot in Norway, read more...
A canceled flight to the British Virgin Islands led to the creation of a new airline.
Since 1984, Virgin Atlantic has been a disrupter in the long-haul travel market. From starting with a single Boeing 747 and a cramped office in central London, read more...
Japan’s first “prison hotel” will open in the spring of 2026, offering amenities that its former inhabitants could only have dreamed of when it was built more than a century ago.
Unveiling plans to rehabilitate the former Nara Prison into a read more...
What’s the biggest emerging outbound tourism market? India. And is Sri Lanka Tourism doing enough to attract more Indians?
In 2022, India generated Asia’s highest outbound travel volume for the first time, with foreign trips exceeding those of China, South Korea, and read more...
Accor has encouraged its properties to measure their food waste.
Reduction can only be achieved through precise measurement. To accurately quantify food waste and comply with shared standards, each property is encouraged to measure its waste using Gaïa, a dedicated online read more...
Sri Lanka reached the 100,000 tourist arrival mark in September, marking the eighth month of 2023 this milestone was achieved. However, with the arrivals totaling 111,938, the island nation managed to realise only 93 percent of the target (120,201) set read more...
Traveling on holiday in Italy can turn out to be priceless. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. It depends on how one looks at it. To many, it is a pleasant journey with heaps of eye-opening experiences. It can range from read more...
An attorney tells Hotel Dive that U.S. hotel corporations should be responsible for safety standards across all their properties — regardless of location.
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.
In 2021, James Carter and Anastasia Duboshina were on a family vacation in Puerto read more...
It was not long ago that the catastrophic loss of the Titan submersible captured the attention of the whole world. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie — a submersible with five souls on board implodes, deep read more...
Notwithstanding the disappointment of not achieving its monthly target of 147,789 for October 2023, (signaling the 3rd consecutive month for failing to its reach monthly arrivals target), Sri Lanka Tourism officials last week expressed optimism on achieving 1.55 million tourist read more...
A New Zealand company has been found guilty of not "minimising risk" to 22 people who died in the 2019 White Island volcano disaster.
Judge Evangelos Thomas criticised what he said were "astonishing failures" by Whakaari Management Limited (WML) - which read more...
The system boards passengers in order of window, middle and aisle seats. But that may not relieve all the bottlenecks, industry professionals argue.
With its newly revealed plan to change its airplane-boarding process, United Airlines is clearly hoping to speed things read more...
Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando who is currently attending the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London, expressed confidence that by the end of the year tourism earnings will reach $ 2.5 billion – given that the industry has bounced read more...
Atlanta woman receives $3 million settlement for severe coffee burns.
An Atlanta woman, aged 70, has reached a settlement of $3 million after a harrowing incident at a Dunkin' drive-thru in Sugar Hill, Georgia, resulted in severe third-degree burns caused by read more...
November became 2023’s winner for the highest number of arrivals in a month, with 151,496 visitors. Up until then, July held that position with tourist arrivals totaling 143,039.
The top three sourcing destinations for Sri Lanka for November 2023 was India read more...
Just nine months before the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the French capital is battling an invasion of bedbugs. Days after the tiny pests were first reported in hotels and vacation rental apartments across the city there were sightings read more...
Hilton is the first hospitality company to receive the honor, after a runner-up finish in 2022.
Hilton was named the world’s best workplace by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work, beating runners up DHL Express, Cisco and AbbVie.
The recognition marks the first read more...
Air travel is an essential mode of transportation for people worldwide, offering convenience and connectivity. However for passengers with disabilities, flying presents numerous challenges. Navigating airports, ensuring wheelchair accommodations and obtaining necessary information have often been cumbersome, Airlines and advocacy read more...
“They offered me a glass of wine and a cheesecake” when Marriott guest discovers that her room won’t lock and the hotel can’t move her because it’s overbooked - Wine and cheesecake to make up for a lack of safety?
When read more...
The fall season can be a slower time of year for travel, but not for this spectacular Asian island. November arrivals topped 151,000 international visitors — a new record for the country.
It’s the best month of the year for this trendy Asian read more...
Sometimes, the punishment really does fit the crime.
An Ohio woman who was convicted of assault after she threw food at a Chipotle employee has been sentenced to work a fast-food job for two months.
The unconventional sentence was offered to Rosemary Hayne, 39, by Judge Timothy Gilligan read more...
Despite missing out on its target of welcoming 242,135 tourists in December, Sri Lanka welcomed a total of 1.487 million international visitors during the full year of 2023. The year’s target of a total 1.55 million was missed out by read more...
The luxury hotel said that the ring was located in a vacuum cleaner bag, a French newspaper reported.
A Malaysian business manager's missing diamond ring, said to be worth over $800,000, was found in a vacuum cleaner bag at a famed Paris read more...
American aircraft manufacturer Boeing faces increasing scrutiny following a series of mechanical failures and subsequent grounding of its Boeing 737 Max 9 model after an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX faced an emergency landing after one of its doors blew read more...
Will 2024 be any different? The answer to that is yes and no.
Some things will change and some won’t. In any event, those clouds of emotions that have been building up over the past, ranging from optimism, excitement, apprehension and read more...
An American scientist has sparked a trans-Atlantic tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite hot beverage.
Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl says one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch read more...
Who is the first person whom you encounter when entering a commercial establishment? Chances are, it’s the security guard. That is the first person that your customer sees or hears and unwittingly, they have become the first point of contact with your read more...
208,253 arrivals in January 2024 augur well for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. It is 103% more than what January 2023 produced.
But are 208,253 arrivals, the ideal launch pad for attracting 2.3 million visitors this year - as aimed for by read more...
Dunkin' is facing a $5 million class action lawsuit based on claims that it discriminates against customers with lactose intolerance and milk allergies by charging them extra for non-dairy milk alternatives.
A group of 10 Plaintiffs across the US accused the read more...
More isn’t always more—as McDonald’s CEO recently admitted. After beefing up its prices in the hopes of generating more sales, the burger giant actually wound up turning off some core customers. Now, its chief executive Chris Kempczinski has hinted at read more...
For many years, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was beset by rumours of discrimination against local tourists. Many of these complaints mainly originated from the island’s coastal regions, where locals were refused services from restaurants and hotels. However, the discrimination of read more...
Sri Lanka has recorded 218,350 tourist arrivals for February 2024, the highest number per month since January 2020.
This also marks the second consecutive month with over 200,000 arrivals, with January recording as many as 208,253 arrivals.
Russian tourists totaling 32,030 (15%), read more...
Plaintiffs claim Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and others conspired with CoStar subsidiary STR in an “unlawful” information exchange that drove inflated room rates in top U.S. markets.
Several major hotel operators, including Marriott International and Hilton, are being sued for allegedly conspiring read more...
It rains an average of 171 days per year in Singapore. But one hotel in the Lion City is taking a gamble to ensure that rain doesn’t spoil its guests’ holidays.
The InterContinental Singapore’s “Rain Resist Bliss” package will reimburse one read more...
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? You’re seated uncomfortably in your economy-class seat when the passenger in front hits the recline button.
Most of us suck in and groan. We might recline our own seat and reclaim that lost space but read more...
India with 31,853 tourists in March 2024 secured the top source market for Sri Lanka, followed by Russia with 28,016, the UK coming in 3rd with 21,540 and Germany and China taking the 4th and 5th positions producing 18,324 and read more...
The suit alleges that Subway’s ability to inspect restaurants and other forms of control over operations make it a joint employer with franchisee GRB Investments.
A former employee of Subway franchisee GRB Investments is suing the operator and the brand for $50 million read more...
“When they come off the aeroplane at the end of the day, there are tears of emotion. You hear things like, ‘I’m a changed woman – thank you so much, I can go and visit my grandchildren in Australia”. Captain read more...
On Thursday, 21st January 2022, Saturday Night Live stars and prodigal sons of Staten Island Colin Jost and Pete Davidson together with a group of investors purchased a Staten Island Ferry that had been recently decommissioned. The group paid $280,000 for read more...
According to the revised data, released by the Tourism authorities, April arrivals totaled 148,867.
The revision is because arrivals for April 27th and 28th, previously reported at 3,995 and at 2,888, respectively, are now shown as 5,757 arrivals for the 27th, read more...
The airline serves over 40 destinations.
SriLankan Airlines, which was formerly known as Air Lanka, is the often-overlooked flag carrier of the South Asian island nation Sri Lanka and is an active member of the one-world alliance. Currently, the carrier stands read more...
Cruise vacations cover a range of budgets, with some bargain jaunts costing a few hundred dollars, while more upscale, longer voyages lay on more perks to justify the big expense.
But a new offering by luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises read more...
When your livelihood depends on you getting somewhere and getting there fast that’s nothing unusual. In a number of fast paced jobs, one is required to execute many tasks or make several decisions on tight timelines, with outside events (sometimes read more...
The history of unique soups has been funky from the start. We aren't talking about Anthony Bourdain's favorite traditional French fish head soup. We're going back to the beginning of humans making soup. The first bowl of soup known to man read more...
The SriLankan Airlines website headlined “we bring the world to you” says it flies to 113 destinations in 59 countries. Not really, because the majority of the flights are through codeshare agreements.
SriLankan only flies internationally to 38 destinations across four continents. In read more...
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals registered 108,665 arrivals for the month of May 2024. Accumulated total arrivals from January to May 2024 stood at 893,316.
India emerged as the top tourist source market in May, contributing 31,225 visitors and taking a market read more...
Once upon a time, restaurant reviews were left to newspaper critics, who made a living dining at restaurants and picking apart everything from the bread service to the wine list. Now, of course, nearly every human on earth has a read more...
Last week, The Glen Grant made headlines when it announced that its legendary master distiller Dennis Malcolm would be retiring after 63 years in the whisky business. He certainly will be given his flowers as he bows out—along with several casks of read more...
Turbulence has always been associated to air travel. Most of the time, it involves slightly unnerving spells of bumpiness. We’ve all experienced that. However, the severe episode on board a Singapore Airlines plane on 20th May where a passenger died read more...
Except age, everything else that goes up comes down
2024 marks a pivotal turning point for Sri Lanka’s tourism and hospitality sector. Travel demand is back to near pre-pandemic levels. However several challenges lie ahead.
A combination of continued socio-economic vulnerabilities, slow read more...
McKinsey & Company’s “State of Tourism and Hospitality 2024” reports that the post-pandemic era has led to more travelers prioritising cross country trips. While that is good news for the hospitality industry, international travel often comes with a major headache: read more...
During the month of June 2024 and up until the 26th (included), the daily arrivals total averaged 3,654. A late surge in the number of arrivals, with a daily average of 4,613 visitors during the last four days of the read more...
“Flying is going to be more expensive,” a top executive said
Another European airline is bracing customers for more expensive flights as the industry faces pressure to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Luis Gallego, CEO of the International Airlines Group, told the read more...
In an unprecedented move, the travel and tourism industry has joined forces to file a Fundamental Rights Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the new tourist visa process that was introduced without any forewarning in April 2024, creating chaos for read more...
The Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, USA, fired four security guards involved in the death of a person in June this year. D’Vontave Mitchell, a black man, who, despite having his hands up, was dragged to the floor and read more...
On Sunday, 21st July, waiters in London competed against each other to prove their serving skills. Soho saw nearly 50 professional servers come from all around to compete in the annual waiters’ race. This was no ordinary footrace though, these athletes had read more...
A total of 187,810 (6,058 daily average) visitors to the island in July 2024 – reflected a 31% year-on-year (YoY) growth. However, it is still 14% lower than the 217,829 tourists who visited the country in July of 2018 – read more...
A picturesque Greek island has been swamped by a tidal wave of tourists, all arriving in the course of a single day.
Panagiotis Kavallaris, who heads the Thira municipal community on the idyllic isle of Santorini, took to social media earlier read more...
The Hyderabad Consumer Forum has ordered Singapore Airlines to pay Rs 4.65 lakh for failing to check a family's Covid-19 vaccination certificates, causing them to be detained at Changi Airport. The family, from Banjara Hills, faced multiple issues, including flight read more...
Have you always dreamed of engaging in a virtual F-16 battle? Do you wish to play commercial airline captain for a day while attempting a landing at the world’s busiest airport? You don’t have to wait too long or travel read more...
Visitors in August plunged furthest away from the month’s target of 202,907 with a 38,298 shortfall representing a 19% deficit between actual and forecast. This was the largest loss seen so far during the year - surpassing the 35,225 deficit read more...
(Credit: Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock)
The Titanic, discovered in 1985 deep beneath the ocean off of Newfoundland, is the most iconic shipwreck in the world. The massive luxury liner sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, but it was well preserved in its freezing resting place read more...
New research explains
Whether it’s to calm nerves or simply to enjoy the flight, you may choose to order an alcoholic drink when on a plane. However, new research suggests you might want to avoid napping after the fact - flying, drinking, and read more...
The slowdown of travelers to Sri Lanka, observed in July and August continues to plummet with September 2024 recording a total 122,140 international visitors to the island. This figure was a mere 9.1% increase over the 111,938 arrivals that came in read more...
The Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles or Sri Lanka, which should you visit? Our writer compares the winter-sun favourites
The problem facing isle-o-philes is that it’s hard to know which tropical sun-kissed Indian Ocean island to choose over another. Scattered like jewels read more...
135,907 tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in October 2024 was a 25% rise compared to 109,199 in the same month last year. However, that increasing rate is below the year-to-date growth rate of 44% in the first 10 months of read more...
The Cambridge dictionary describes bane “a cause of continuous trouble or unhappiness”. In lighter vein, we sometimes use it for those that aren’t bad, it just feels like it. That ‘feel bad’ illusion though is not the case for some read more...
A woman who is travelling around Asia was left gob smacked after an area called Little England - filled with British style homes, lamp posts, and pigeons.
A British woman who is touring around Sri Lanka has been left gob smacked by a read more...
Turbulence can vary from a few minor bumps to significantly prolonged shaking. It can be a significant source of anxiety for many people, though almost all frequent fliers have experienced turbulence at least once. Fortunately, it’s generally not something to be read more...
Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station is set to be placed in low-Earth orbit by the SpaceX Falcon rocket next year. First paying customers will be getting on board in 2026, and judging by the final designs just released read more...
A second Australian teenager has died of suspected methanol poisoning, bringing to six the number of foreign tourists who have died after apparently drinking tainted alcohol in Laos.
The family of Holly Bowles, 19, said it was with "broken hearts" that read more...
Sri Lanka welcomed 184,158 international visitors in November 2024. On a year-on-year basis in November, tourist arrivals were up 21.5%.However, it was 7% shy of achieving the 198,069 arrivals it had set out for the month.
Six countries (The US, Australia, read more...
When you arrive at Changi Airport you'll immediately know you're in Singapore
Airports are the international travelers’ first point of contact when they arrive at their destination, and its infrastructure and facilities provide them their first impression of the expected quality read more...
December arrivals totaling 248,592 narrowly missed the projected target of 256,389 by 7,797 visitors. It is an 18.18% increase compared to the same period last year, and is slightly below the record 253,169 arrivals achieved in the same month in read more...
As we’re into the middle of the first month of 2025, the 350th week of continuous content from Hospitality Sri Lanka rolls around. You’ll be reading this on or after the middle of January. Over those 350 weeks, we’ve maintained read more...
A "panic-stricken" elephant killed a Spanish woman while she was bathing the animal at an elephant centre in Thailand, local police said.
Blanca Ojanguren García was washing the elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre on Friday (3rd) when she read more...
It's hoped the proposed new law would make sure online travel reviews were more truthful.
Complaining about bad tourist amenities is about to get a lot harder in Italy if a new law being considered by the country’s parliament gets the read more...
Taking in verdant tea country and historic stations, the island’s railway network makes for a perfect way to explore.
Writing in his memoirs, Leonard Woolf said that the hills of Sri Lanka “rise and fall all round you in great waves, in a read more...
The island nation began 2025 welcoming 252,761 international visitors in January whilst falling short of its targeted 305,687 projection for the month by 17%.
However, last month’s actual arrivals number marks a 21% increase compared to January 2024 and a 5.8% read more...
There are few moments as controversial in food history as the decision by a Canadian chef in the 1960s to put tinned pineapple on top of a ham pizza.
When Sam Panapoulos created what he and his brother-slash-partner-in-crime dubbed Hawaiian pizza, it was read more...
Sri Lanka attracted 240,217 international tourists in February 2025, reflecting a 10.2 % year-on-year (YoY) increase despite a 5% month-on-month (MoM) decline from the 252,761 arrivals recorded in January 2025. Last month’s total arrivals figure slots in as the 2nd read more...
A United Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner flying from Los Angeles to Shanghai, had to turn around last weekend after it was discovered one of the pilots had taken off without a passport, the airline told CNN in a statement.
Flight UA read more...
229,298 tourists arrived in the country in March 2025. This represents a 9.1 percent growth from a year ago.
India remained the top source market, contributing 17.1% of total arrivals for the month with 39,212 visitors. Russia with 29,177 arrivals took read more...
Westin Hotels & Resorts is partnering with the celebrity’s lifestyle brand Goop on a video series that will give hotel guests insights on sleep quality and overall wellness.
Marriott International’s Westin Hotels & Resorts brand has partnered with Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand read more...
Remember when flying was more than just about cramming into a metal tube with strangers and fighting for the armrest? Well, buckle up for a flight back in the 1970s when airlines thought, “Hey, what if passengers could get to read more...
A total 174,608 visitors arrived to Sri Lanka in April 2025. This was up 17.3% over April 2024’s 148,867 tourists who visited the island last year, but was still below 2018 April’s record 189,429 arrivals by 3.2%. 2018 was also read more...
For some, being a flight attendant would be a dream job - you're getting paid to travel the world. But there's a lot that goes into being a flight attendant that we passengers don't even realise.
From the shoes a traveller is wearing to what read more...
Albeit been the lowest monthly performance for 2025 so far, tourist arrivals in May 2025 recorded the highest-ever arrivals for the month.
132,919 tourists arrived in May, reflecting a 19% year-on-year (YoY) growth. However, this fell short of the month’s target read more...
Much like an airplane hitting unexpected turbulence, a cruise ship occasionally sails into rough seas. Although choppy waters don’t typically have a big impact on large cruise ships, in rare cases, sudden wind gusts can send rogue waves into the read more...
Marriott will soon be automating the process of assigning guest rooms. While replacing human tasks with AI doesn’t always sound like a customer centric move, maybe this is actually good news?
I first covered this topic a couple of weeks ago, read more...
As per the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), a total of 138,241 tourists arrived in the country in June 2025. This is an increase of 21.8% in comparison to the numbers that arrived in June, last year.
According to the June’25 data read more...
A transatlantic flight from Germany to New York City was forced to make an emergency landing in France when a 41-year-old physician with a severe shellfish allergy claims she was served a meal containing shrimp – even after making certain to notify the read more...
One of the world’s “friendliest countries” is working on a plan to deal with the rising number of tourists. In 2024, Japan set a new tourism record as visitors from across the globe flocked to the island nation. However, the influx of a large number read more...
Where night work for women in restaurants has been condemned in the past, Sri Lanka’s cabinet of Ministers has recognized that some night work is now necessary due to operational challenges, including expansion of industries and economic opportunities. Consequently, it read more...
Ciel Dubai isn’t just reaching new heights - it’s redefining luxury with panoramic design, vertical gardens, and sky-high experiences.
Dubai’s got some great architectural marvels. Like the Burj Khalifa, Museum of the Future and many more.
Now, there’s Ciel, the 365-meter tower coming up in read more...
Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals increased 6.6 %, from the 187,810 arrivals it welcomed the same month a year ago, after a total 200,244 visitors came to the island in July 2025. Last month’s visitor total is a marginal improvement over read more...
We asked travellers what they actually think
Imagine checking in for a flight with your two teenage children. At the counter, you are told that your youngest teenager’s suitcase is two kilograms over the limit. You get slapped with a $75 penalty read more...
Disney's betting big on Asia.
CEO Bob Iger said Disney Adventure, the company's largest ship to date is a real chance to expand into the Southeast Asian market. During Disney's Q3 earnings call, he described Disney Adventure as a floating ambassador for read more...
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have been sued by passengers who claim they were charged extra for a window seat but found themselves sitting next to a blank wall.
The lawsuits, filed separately against the US carriers, seek millions of read more...
What do you do when you're control is out-of-control? Conventional wisdom is that you repeat the control or try a new one.
But what do you do when your controllers go haywire? The operator of a Japanese luxury sleeper train scrapped read more...
Shocking issues you need to know before booking your stay.
More than 10,000 hotels across Europe have united to file a massive lawsuit against Booking.com, one of the leading global online travel agencies.
The lawsuit, which spans across 30 countries, claims that read more...
Sri Lanka received 198,235 tourist arrivals in August 2025. This figure represents a 20.4% increase compared to August 2024 and was adrift of the record 200,359 arrivals in August 2018 by a mere 1.06%. However, it fell short of the official monthly read more...
The state has placed clear-air turbulence in the same category as mid-air collisions and incursions on runways.
Singapore has become the first state to classify severe air turbulence as a major in-flight threat after two incidents involving its airliners last year read more...
A British Airways Airbus A380 training captain was caught repeatedly stealing food and drinks at the airline’s headquarters.
A British Airways (BA) training captain has been caught stealing food from the airline’s headquarters, Waterside, near London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Despite his senior role read more...
It’s the south Asian island country that has long been a byword for serenity (at least when it comes to high-end tourism). From pristine beaches to ancient Buddhist sites, Sri Lanka’s unique charms have helped it draw some two million visitors a year read more...
In September 2025, Sri Lanka welcomed a total of 158,971 visitors to the country, eclipsing the previous record of 149,087 set in September 2018 - the benchmark year of 2018 by 30.2%.
A substantial portion of the total arrivals - 31.3% read more...
How entrepreneur Charles Conconi ’92CC is driving more economically sustainable tourism on the South Asian Island.
When Charles Conconi ’92CC fell in love with Sri Lanka back in 2001, he fell hard. An international-development worker from Washington, DC, he visited the small read more...
Starting October 15, 2025, the US will join Finland, Canada, Belarus, Austria, Denmark, Qatar, Poland, and more in Sri Lanka’s updated visa policy, which mandates all tourists to obtain their Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) online before departure. This initiative also read more...
The total 165,193 tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in October 2025 were a 21.5% rise compared to 135,907 in the same month last year and is a significant 7.8% rise over the pre-pandemic 153,123 arrivals of October 2018.
October’s arrivals fell read more...
