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By Rene Martel
IF, as the legend goes, God created the world in
six days, then it is entirely likely that he devoted the seventh day
wholly to creating Sri Lanka! Paradise is a word too easily bandied
around these days on the global tourism front, but in its
application to this jewel of an island hanging like a teardrop in
the Indian Ocean, it matches the description in every sense of the
word.
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One
of the many golden beaches that
dot the Sri Lankan coastline. |
Indeed, early explorers were in such bewiderment
over Sri Lanka’s abundance of natural beauty—from golden beaches
lapped enticingly by pristine blue waters to carpets of green
foliage that make up the breathtakingly picturesque tea country
nestled in the country’s highlands—that they coined the word
“Serendib” (meaning a fortunate discovery by accident) to
describe the island.
In fact, “serendipity” and “a land like no
other” were two of the befitting names attached to the country
long before it made its international mark as Ceylon (in colonial
days) and later, in the years following independence, as Sri Lanka.
The names alone bear witness to its richness and beauty, and the
intensity of the affection it evokes in everyone who has ever
visited the country.
But as chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board,
Renton de Alwis and his hard-working team take great pains to point
out, the negative vibes created by the reign of terror inflicted in
the north by the Tamil Tigers’ terrorist outfit do not in any way
impact on the fantastic beach resorts of the south such as Bentota
and Hikkaduwa, nor in the cool recreational climes of Nuwara Eliya
and Bandarawela where the colonial British created a home away from
home—with these parts more redolent of Scotland than any place you
associate with in the orient.
Concerns about the “business in the north”
are easily displaced by an ethnicly diverse people (whether
Sinhalese, Tamil or Muslim) who are the most friendly and hospitable
on earth, and whose gleaming smiles are worth a thousand words of
friendly greeting. And dig this—a Sri Lankan holiday luxuriating
in sun and sand (along with insights into a glorious culture that is
over 2000 years old) does not only provide top grade recreational
quality but the prices (whether you are counting dollars, euros,
pounds or yen) are probabaly the most affordable in the world.
But the Sri Lanka Tourist Board is not just
sitting back on its laurels. Explains Chairman de Alwis:
“Today’s consumer is conscious about the environmental and
social effects of tourism. With this in mind, the Sri Lanka Tourist
Board has unveiled plans for a new and exciting project designed to
raise Sri Lanka’s profile as a destination, offering socially and
environmentally responsible tourism”
Outlining the rationale behind the “Sri Lanka
Tourism’s Social Responsibility Service Project,” he adds:
“The new plan is designed to bring greater numbers of socially and
environmentally aware tourists to Sri Lanka, and to enhance their
holiday experience while here. Local communities are the focus of
the new plan and a key objective is building community support in
the development of tourism.
To this end, the plan aims to link communities
with tourism activities to ensure that the benefits from tourism
actually contribute toward sustainable community development.
Visitors to Sri Lanka who are interested will be able to take part
in a community service project in one of five broad areas—carbon
off-setting, child welfare, animal welfare, peace education and
facilitation for the differently abled.”
It is clear that a growing number of tourists
want to “give something back” while on holiday. This plan will
give visitors to Sri Lanka the chance to fulfil this wish, and in
doing so contribute toward the sustainable, socially responsible
development of local communities. (To get involved contact the Sri
Lanka Tourist Board on 0094 112426929, or e-mail prashanthi@srilanka.travel).
Whilst we were on the island, we had the
wonderful experince of journeying to the hill capital of Kandy to
witness the famous annual August festival (or Esala Perahera in the
local vernacular) where every night for ten days, a specacular
three-hour long procession of almost a hundred elephants coupled
with scores upon scores of colorfully dressed native dancers, fire
eaters, acrobats and drummers take to the streets in a dramatic
exposition that is part theater and part fiesta.
The ritual is to bring out the scared relic of
the Lord Buddha’s tooth that is kept in the Temple of the Tooth,
which is one of Kandy’s—and indeed the country’s, primary
landmarks.
Incidentally, the elephant is akin to being the
national animal in Sri Lanka. And a magnificent tusker is given the
honor of carrying the casket bearing the scared relic. Fitting that,
since elephants in Sri Lanka were once royal property, and it was
forbidden to kill them. Today there are just under 3000 wild
elephants left, compared with nearly 15,000 two decades ago.
In order to protect the species, the Sri Lankan
government has created an elephant orphanage in Pinnawela, which is
not too far away from Kandy. Here care and protection is given to
the many baby elephants found in the jungles without their mothers
who had either died or had been killed by poachers.
Tea is easily Sri Lanka’s best-known gift to
the world. As the biggest exporter on the planet of tea—unarguably
the world’s healthiest and most popular brew—the Sri Lanka Tea
Board is at the forefront of spreading the good word about the drink
that in a quaint touch is still branded worldwide under the colonial
name of Ceylon
Says Chairman Lalith Hettiarachchi: “Tea is
what comes to most people’s minds around the world when they think
of Sri Lanka. The main task of the tea board is to enhance this
association by highlighting the benefits of tea to the market
abroad, while at the same time promoting corporate social
responsibility within the home grown tea industry.”
Sri Lanka’s tea country is contained primarily
in the cool climes of the hills and valleys of what is known locally
in the “up country” region. We stayed in the St. Coombes Estate
where the Tea Research Institute is situated. And as its name
suggests, the TRI is at the very core of protecting and
scientifically developing the industry literally on ground level.
The picturesque and mountainous tea country
provides for a contrasting holiday experience from the sun-kissed
beaches of the south coast, and the cultural gems of the interior
such as the 5,000-year-old Sigiriya Rock (with its amazing frescoes)
and the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura and Pollonaruwa—all
treasured wonders from the past. In fact, Sri Lanka is home to seven
World Heritage Sites.
All in all, Sri Lanka has something for every
holiday seeker, whether discerning traveler or just backpacking
tourist. Rightly can it be heralded as the “Land like no other.”
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