Sri Lanka Is The Best. Says Lonely Planet
I love Sri Lanka. Every day I wake up and thank God that I’m here. And not in India. So it’s nice to see our beautiful country recognized, in this case by Lonely Planet, as their top destination for 2013. Cause it is.
Seriously, I cannot think of a better travel destination. Beautiful beaches, history, great food, nice people, the works.
Basically the Lonely Planet is saying Sri Lanka is about to blow (up), so check it out now. Which I think is true. We have an amazing country. Come visit.
Posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 in International, Sri Lanka.
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
The chutzpah of this government knows no bounds. Every government since Independence has had to balance placating Sinhala nationalists (AKA racists) while at the same time actually running a sensible, inclusive nation that doesn’t send minority citizens, capital and foreign investment fleeing. Basically, they’ve had to pay lip service to nationalists while at the same time trying to run an actual nation. Every government has also generally failed, SWRD being killed by a nationalist monk and everyone after almost losing the country to various rebellions. In that context Mahinda is actually doing a better job by virtue of not being dead and not losing control of the country. But he’s still not doing a good job.
mention of india is somewhat insensitive and racist.
I seriously think that tho. It doesn’t mean India is a bad place, just what I think about where I want to be. Don’t see how that’s racist.
I don’t think it’s racist at all, but I do think it’s a rather odd comment though. You’re happier to be here than in… India? You don’t say. That just comes across as some pretty faint praise. Personally, I’m happy that this country is more tolerant than Saudi Arabia, more democratic than North Korea, more prosperous than Somalia, and has far better beaches than Switzerland.
@rajivmw
…and far lesser freedom than USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway…… ;)
Yes, so saying we’re better than one place or worse than another is largely irrelevant, especially fora tourist.
I hope hoteliers wont get too optimistic and increase their rates steeply now, and later, once the best traffic gets diverted to other countries due to the prices, try to lure people to fill up their rooms by selling via the internet giving low, last minute rates,which leads to the vicious cycle of losses, poor staff satisfaction, mediocre service, and more losses, which is a great disservice to the wonderful basic product we have.
What they need to do is concentrate on training staff on hospitable practices and maintaining good standards for a couple of seasons, and raise the prices when service matches the price.
wonder what happened to “boycott sri lanka”…lol
The folks who are pushing for this must be quite angry, their arms flailing about in agony and cries of outrage being emitted from their mouths.
in terms of cleanliness .. definitely Sri Lanka compared to other south asian countries. If anything sri lanka as a tourist destination offers more value than other south asian or east asian country. so much to see and do in such a small place.
Hoteliers are already waking up to reality I think. A number of places are opening up, it will be interesting to see how they do. You should have plenty of cheap deals, especially is Passikudah and Kalpitiya.
October 26, 2012, 9:32 AM HKT
‘X-Files’ Star’s Sri Lanka Home
Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully in the ’90s TV series ‘The X-Files,’ said she purchased this traditional country estate ‘on a whim’ in 2008 after it had lain abandoned for 30 years. The property sits on seven acres and is bordered by a coconut plantation and a jungle.
http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/10/26/x-files-stars-sri-lanka-home/#slide/1
Wonder if the govt. can confiscate Gillian’s property on a whim? Any ideas on how a foreigner can purchase land in SL?
Sri Lanka’s war-torn tourism
NICOLA BRENNAN-TUPARA
We bump along red dirt roads, passing ramshackle huts where people sit shaded only by a tin roof on top of four wooden poles.
They are passing the day watching huge buses – packed with tourists hoping to get a glimpse of a world few had seen before May 2009 – pass by. Up ahead in the distance is what looks like a wrecking yard. Piles upon piles of bicycles stand abandoned on the road side. A few metres further on, the piles of trucks and cars start, stretching some 200m.
But no spare parts or money change hands here. This field is a reminder of all that was lost, and won, during the final battle between the Sri Lankan military forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, otherwise known as the Tamil Tigers, in 2009.
This is Mullaitivu, on Sri Lanka’s north-east coast, and the tourist attractions here aren’t the temples, beaches or tea plantations you’ll find on the rest of the island. These are places that give a glimpse in to the life of a much feared terrorist organisation and the final battle to eradicate it after 30 years – this is what the tourists are flocking to see.
War tourism is booming in Sri Lanka, at this stage mostly with domestic tourists, predominantly Sinhalese, who the area was off limits to for years.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/asia/7868884/Sri-Lankas-war-torn-tourism