For those looking for adventure and thrills to celebrate that special event with lasting memories, there is Hot Air Ballooning happening here in sunny Sri Lanka from the 26th to 30th March in Hambantota and on March 31st and 1st April in Sigiriya. This spectacular event will feature 22 Hot Air Balloons and over 80 balloonists are expected to particpate.  
An opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful coast off Hambantota, or an aerial view of a world heritage site – Sigirya, and the surrounding verdant jungle from a height of around 1000 meters, with the wind in your face and the romance of a very special person by your side, is a special only for the discerning. For details on bookings call Sashi on  0777223531 or email want2know@srilankballoons.com

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The Sri Lanka stall kept its promise and captivated visitors at the International Tourismus Börse (ITB) in Messe Berlin, Berlin, earning second place in the Stalls Competition.  Korea bagged first place, Sri Lanka came second and Singapore third.
The stall had a green theme with an open concept, featuring Sri Lanka Unesco World Heritage Site, the Singharaja virgin rain forest and included special features such as a free Ayurvedic foot massaging service by Siddhalepa Spas, a tea service, a mask carver in action, music by the German folk musician Dirk Maverick singing “Ayubowan Sri Lanka” and unique Sri Lankan cultural performances. A contingent of 146 participated with 40 Sri Lankan tourism companies represented, led by the Deputy Minister of Tourism Feizer Musthapa, Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Central Province, Sarath Ekanayake, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau’s Chairman Renton de Alwis, SLTPB Managing Director Dileep Mudadeniya and several key private sector leaders of industry.     

The ITB is the largest travel event in the world, held in Berlin each year.  This year’s event was held from 5th to 9th March with over 210 countries and regions participating with 11, 000 exhibition stalls. It drew large numbers of visitors from the world over, and the Sri Lanka stall was a favourite stop over for many. Sri Lanka Calling congratulates SLTPB’s Director in Germany Channa Jayasinghe and the team for an excellent presentation this year of Sri Lanka’s exotic offers.

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While the dancers of the Channa Upuli Dance Foundation captivated visitors to the Hong Qia Marriot in Shanghai Sri Lankan cuisine competed with the dancers for attention of the visitors to the first ever Sri Lankan “Festival of Food and Dance” in China. Chinese of the eastern region got a fine opportunity of a “Taste of Paradise” at this festival with the Sri Lankan identity leaving lasting impressions.

In addition to food and dance, other attractive features which contributed to the success of the festival were Sri Lankan gems and jewellery on display, viewed by all with admiration. Sri Lankan tea served was also relished by the visitors.

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The Mona Bismarck Foundation Paris, in association with the University of Visual and Performing Arts Colombo, presents an exhibition of sixty paintings of sixty Sri Lankan artists, in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence.

The exhibition titled ‘Expressions of Independence’ will be on from 4th April to 12th July at the foundation premises at 34, Avenue de New York, 75116 in Paris, France. For more details contact Prof.Sarath Amunugama of the Keleniya University  by email on vcuvpa@sltnet.lk

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Climate change will be the hot topic as PATA Life members, Board members, Committee members and general members meet from April 5th to the 7th for the Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors Meetings at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo.

The Asia Pacific region’s leading travel trade association will deliberate the way forward for the association from 2008 at the meetings in Colombo. The event will commence with a theme setting presentation by the Vice Chair of the 2007 Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Professor Mohan Munasinghe, titled  “Climate Change - Obstacles and Opportunities”. Eminent Sri Lankan scientist Prof Munasinghe has won international recognition for research, as well as authored more than 90 books and 300 technical papers on sustainable development, environment, information technology, energy, water resources, transport and economics.  

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In the March 9th edition of the Independent, in an article on  
“Wildlife Holidays: Look, it's a Brachytron pratense! (That's the hairy dragonfly, stupid)”,
Mark Rowe goes on to say “There's more to wildlife watching than safaris”.

Rowe writes on Sri Lanka’s Sinharaja Rainforest and of sloth bears, mugger crocodiles, jackals, mongoose and the Malabar pied horn bill also of the painted stork. For the full story visit  here

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Sri Lanka Calling congratulates Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Renton de Alwis, on the occasion of his receiving the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association “Hall of Fame 2008 Award for a Life Time Contribution to Tourism 2008”. The award was presented by Michael T Hofer, Director, Press and Public Relations of Messe Berlin at the ITB, Berlin.

The Award by PATWA was in recognition of his contribution to the travel and tourism industry over a period of more than three decades. Commencing in Sri Lanka and proceeding to serve the Asian region based in Singapore, the Greater Mekong Region and China, Renton in his role as Vice President for Asia of PATA, pioneered efforts in Internet application development in the early 1990's in Asian tourism. He also introduced several innovations in Singapore serving in the capacity of CEO of the National Travel Agents Association Singapore (NATAS) and was part of the teams that developed the tourism master plans for the Greater Mekong Region and Yunnan Province of China on ADB and UNDP assignments. As Chief Technical Advisor of the UNDP's Partnership for Quality Tourism Project in Nepal he assisted in setting up the Nepal Tourism Board in 1997 and pioneered several community tourism projects. He was also Chairman of the PATA Task Force for Macau’s Tourism Development and was facilitator of the Bhutan Tourism Development initiative in 2002.

Currently serving his second term as head of Sri Lanka Tourism, having been appointed by three different governments, Renton also had the honour of being invited to serve as Senior Advisor in Tourism and Communications with former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Late Lakshman Kadirgamar.