Tourist arrivals grew as December out did November’s growth of 20% by a 55.8% increase. January looks increasingly promising with the recent high arrivals in the religious tourism sector and with events which have made Sri Lanka increasingly attractive for the traveller with a wide repertoire of interests.

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Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb, the spiritual leader of the International Dawoodi Bohra Community is in Sri Lanka to attend the 10 day Ashara Mubaraka ceremony which marks the Martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussain and is the most important event of the Dawoodi Bohra Islamic religious calendar.

Following their spiritual leader, over 30,000 visitors have arrived in Colombo, and are attending prayer sessions at the Borah Grand Mosque in Bambalapitiya.  Sri Lanka Calling extends warm salutations to all visitors and wishes everyone a memorable stay in Sri Lanka. For more details visit www.mumineen.org

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Tamils the world over and in Sri Lanka marked the beginning of the auspicious month of Thai  this week, by paying homage to the Sun God, which brings prosperity in agriculture and is at the centre of all living things. Sri Lanka Calling sends out warm greetings to all who celebrated this auspicious day.

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JEEP will take Sri Lanka Tourism’s Earth Lung imitative forward with Jetwing Group’s latest contribution to the environment. A 100 acre land in Kandy belonging to Jetwing Hunas Falls has been allocated and the first phase of the project commenced last week on a selected area. The project’s chief patron is the well known actress and environmental crusader Mrs. Iranganie Serasinghe.

A key feature of JEEP is the involvement of the community through children with the awareness programmes conducted in local schools ensuring continuity and sustainability. Under this project chosen schools will be fostered by the group and given guidance on ‘Earth Saving Practises’. The JEEP Earth Centre, an education facility on Mother Earth set up at the Hunnas Falls Hotel and a colourful cartoon type booklet published in all three languages for children are the key tools used in the education programme.  For more details visit www.eternalearth.net or www.jetwinghotels.com

Sri Lanka’s beautiful gold courses are legendary and well known in golfing circuits. The more recent additions, to the two centuries old courses in Nuwara Eliya and Colombo, are the Victoria Golf and Country Resort in Digana Kandy which is celebrating its 10th anniversary and the Waters Edge the newest Golf and Country Club.

The club in Kandy is organizing the Victoria Anniversary Trophy and the first qualifying round was on 19th January. To participate in celebrations and in the qualifying rounds visit www.golfsrilanka.com/VictoriaAnniversaryTrophy.aspx

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Yala National Park is once again open to visitors and around 100 tourists have been visiting daily since its opening on 1st January after the unusually long break last year. 
“Around 20 jeeps visited during the first two days after the reopening. The visitors included locals as well as foreigners” said an official at the park.

The park is open from 6 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. all seven days and all safari jeeps are in operation while the management is looking forward to opening the seven park bungalows as well. 

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Over the years pilgrims have visited Sri Lanka to explore the many sites of religious significance to Buddhists and in the recent past visitors are combining a site seeing tour with religious acts of worship, meditation, and giving of alms to monks.

Pilgrim visitors from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore toured places of worship in Colombo, Anuradhapura and Matara. While a delegation from the Buddhist Association of China led by most venerable Xue Cheng, the President, made a special visit to Sri Lanka to participate in the launch of the first Buddhist Television Channel at Sri Sambodhi Viharaya in Colombo.

A delegation led by the Chief Abbot of Kaburaiji Temple in Kobe, Japan Ven. Koryu Nakamura is scheduled to visit in August this year. The organizers of these excursions can be contacted on www.connaissance.lk

Sri Lanka Calling congratulates the winners of the 2008 Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Prize for Peace and culture, the principals of two schools in the remote town of Deraniyagala.

The principal of Deraniyagala Maha Vidyalaya  K.W Wimalwardena and Kathiresan Tamil Maha Vidyalam  principal K.Kumaravelu are jointly awarded the prize in recognition of the leadership given by each of them to promote peace and harmony among communities working together in religious, cultural and social work.