Business
UK bloggers & influencers FAM Tour in Sri Lanka showcases island’s captivating beauty and diverse socio-cultural facets
A group of eight professional bloggers and influencers representing the United Kingdom recently embarked on a captivating journey through the resplendent island of Sri Lanka as part of a destination promotional Familiarization Tour under UK market. Organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, this highly successful tour provided an immersive experience, showcasing the country’s rich cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, natural wonders, and warm hospitality including other diverse attractions to the group.
The FAM Tour spanned 11 days from 27th May to 06th June. The tour unveiled a tapestry of experiences, weaving together a vibrant narrative of Sri Lanka’s diverse attractions. The carefully curated itinerary showcased key highlights in each place visited, leaving an indelible impression on the media delegation and inspiring their audiences back in the United Kingdom.
They visited key tourism attractions such as Negombo, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Minneriya, Trincomalee, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella,Yala, Galle, and Colombo showcasing the best that Sri Lanka has to offer, from ancient historical sites to pristine beaches, lush tea plantations, Tea culture & trails, wildlife encounters, culture and lifestyle, sustainable tourism initiatives, conservation projects and much more.
During their visit, the media delegation had the opportunity to delve into the rich historical heritage of Sri Lanka through visits to iconic landmarks such as the ancient city of Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa Dambulla and the British Colonial charms of Galle Fort, Nuwara Eliya and Colombo. They marveled at the architectural grandeur and spiritual significance of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The tour also highlighted Sri Lanka’s stunning natural beauty, with visits to picturesque locations such as the tea-growing region of Nuwara Eliya, the wildlife haven of Yala National Park, and the awe-inspiring Ella Gap.The participants were able to witness firsthand the island’s incredible biodiversity and experience thrilling encounters with elephants, leopards, and a myriad of exotic bird species during their visits to Minneriya National Park and Yala National Park.
In Trincomalee, the delegation had the opportunity to embark on a mesmerizing dolphin-watching excursion and a boat ride to Pigeon Island, immersing themselves in the pristine beauty of the coastal waters. They visited Koneshwaram Temple and Nilaveli Beach and explored the different charms of the East Cost of Sri Lanka.
During their visit to Nuwara Eliya, they had the unique opportunity to experience The Pekoe Trail, a new tourism product, that took them from Kandapola to Pedro Estate, in stage 22, a 10 kilometers trek offering a picturesque journey through tea plantations and scenic landscapes. The trail ended at Pedro Tea Factory visit where they witnessed the tea processing and a tea-tasting session was arranged to introduce different varieties of Tea produced in the highlands. The Pekoe Trail experience was sponsored by Mr. Miguel Cunat and coordinated by Ms.Vishadini Fernando . The trail has given the opportunity to encounter Sri Lanka’s rich heritage, intriguing history and unique culture while traversing hills, plains, villages, and Ceylon Tea plantations. It is project funded by European Union and endorsed by Sri Lanka Tourism as a new tourism product.
The scenic train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella presented the media representatives with breathtaking vistas, including the iconic Ella Rock, captivating their senses and leaving an indelible mark of the ride regarded as one of the most scenic train rides in the world.
Throughout their journey, the media group had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich local culture, traditions and hospitality of Sri Lankan people. In Tissa, they witnessed the awe-inspiring Sri Lankan Poson Poya Perahera pageant, a grand religious procession conducted by Tissamaharama Rajamaha Vihara, and experienced the warmth of Sri Lankans by visiting a free food stall (Dansela), indulging in delicious Sri Lankan cuisine. The Chief incumbent of the Temple gave a sermon to the guests about Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy in depth.
During the tour they indulged in delectable culinary experiences, from visits to fish markets, aromatic spice gardens to authentic cooking demonstrations at Hiriwadunna, which showcased the island’s unique flavors and culinary traditions.
The tour concluded in the vibrant capital city Colombo, where the media experienced the bustling energy, modernity, and cultural diversity of Colombo, Colonial buildings submerging themselves in its vibrant atmosphere.
The UK Media FAM Tour also shed light on sustainable tourism initiatives practiced by Sri Lankan hoteliers and tourism zones, especially in locations such as Negombo, Sigiriya, Galle and Kandy further highlighting the destination’s commitment to responsible, nature-friendly, community-based tourism eco-system practiced the service providers. The media professionals were highly impressed by the service standards of the hoteliers and the ease of access to attractions and overall travel-friendly conditions prevailing in the country.
The group had been sharing their experiences via social media handles while on tour with their respective audiences and scheduled to publish further exciting stories in depth in their blogs which will undoubtedly inspire many UK travellers to embark on their own journey to Sri Lanka.
“The UK Media FAM Tour has been a transformative journey, exceeding our expectations and reshaping our perception of Sri Lanka, we were captivated by the country’s unparalleled beauty, warmth, and generosity of the Sri Lankan people, the stunning landscapes, and the fascinating cultural experiences. It was truly an unforgettable adventure.” remarked the UK media crew on the conclusion of the FAM Tour named Glamorous Sri Lanka .
Various tourism stakeholders such as Aitken Spence Travels, Jetwing Hotels, Thema Collection of Hotels, Shangri-La Resorts, Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge, Cinnamon Hotels, Tabula Rasa Resort, collaborated with Sri Lanka Tourism to organize this promotion by providing exceptional services and experiences to the media group.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau extends sincere gratitude to all participants, industry partners, Sri Lankan Airlines, High Commission of Sri Lanka in London for their contribution to the success of the event.
Under the UK market promotional strategy, Sri Lanka Tourism is planning to conduct more events and promotions of this nature including trade promotions to position Sri Lanka as the most preferred destination in Asia for UK travellers. United Kingdom has been among the top 03 arrival-generating markets to Sri Lanka since its inception.
The latest earnings report for Sampath Bank PLC (SAMP), analysed by First Capital Research (FCR), firmly supports a positive outlook among investors. The research firm has stuck with its “MAINTAIN BUY” recommendation , setting optimistic targets: a Fair Value of LKR 165.00 for 2025 and LKR 175.00 for 2026. This signals strong belief that the bank is managing the economy’s recovery successfully.
The key reason for this optimism is the bank’s shift towards aggressive, yet smart, growth. Even as interest rates dropped across the market, which usually makes loan income (Net Interest Income) harder to earn, Sampath Bank saw its total loans jump by a huge 30.2% compared to last year. This means the bank lent out a lot more money, increasing its loan book to LKR 1.1 Trillion. This strong lending, which covers trade finance, leasing, and regular term loans, shows the bank is actively helping businesses and people spend and invest as the economy recovers.
In addition to loans, the bank has found a major new source of income from fees and commissions, which surged by 42.6% year-over-year. This money comes from services like card usage, trade activities, and digital banking transactions. This shift makes the bank less reliant on just interest rates, giving it a more stable and higher-profit way to earn money.
Importantly, this growth hasn’t weakened the bank’s foundations. Sampath Bank is managing its funding costs better, partly by improving its low-cost current and savings account (CASA) ratio to 34.5%. Moreover, the quality of its loans is getting better, with bad loans (Stage 3) dropping to 3.77% and the money set aside to cover potential losses rising to a careful 60.25%.
Even with the new, higher capital requirements for systemically important banks, the bank remains very strong, keeping its capital and cash buffers robust and well above the minimum standards.
In short, while the estimated profit for 2025 was adjusted slightly, the bank’s excellent performance and strong strategy overshadow this minor change. Sampath Bank is viewed as a sound stock with high growth potential , offering investors attractive total returns over the next two years.
By Sanath Nanayakkare
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million loan to support the ongoing Mahaweli Development Program, Sri Lanka’s largest multiuse water resources development initiative.
The program aims to transfer excess water from the Mahaweli River to the drier northern and northwestern parts of Sri Lanka. The Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program Stage 2 Project will directly benefit more than 35,600 farming households in the North Central Province by strengthening agriculture sector resilience and enhancing food security.
ADB leads the joint cofinancing effort for the project, which is expected to mobilize $60 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development and $42 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development, in addition to the ADB financing.
“While Sri Lanka has reduced food insecurity, it remains a development challenge for the country,” said ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka Takafumi Kadono. “Higher agricultural productivity and crop diversification are necessary to achieve food security, and adequate water resources and disaster-resilient irrigation systems are key.”
The project will complete the government’s North Central Province Canal (NCPC) irrigation infrastructure, which is expected to irrigate about 14,912 hectares (ha) of paddy fields and provide reliable irrigated water for commercial agriculture development (CAD). It will help complete the construction of tunnels and open and covered canals. The project will also establish a supervisory control and data acquisition system to improve NCPC operations. Once completed, the NCPC will connect the Moragahakanda Reservoir to the reservoirs of Huruluwewa, Manankattiya, Eruwewa, and Mahakanadarawa.
Sri Lanka was hit by Cyclone Ditwah in late November, resulting in the country’s worst flood in two decades and the deadliest natural hazard since the 2004 tsunami. The disaster damaged over 160,000 ha of paddy fields along with nearly 96,000 ha of other crops and 13,500 ha of vegetables.
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to advancing women’s empowerment and financial inclusion, by partnering with the National Credit Guarantee Institution Limited (NCGIL) as a Participating Shareholder Institution (PSI) in the newly introduced ‘Liya Shakthi’ credit guarantee scheme, designed to support women-led enterprises across Sri Lanka.
The operational launch of the scheme was marked by the handover of the first loan registration at Commercial Bank’s Head Office recently, symbolising a key step in broadening access to finance for women entrepreneurs.
Representing Commercial Bank at the event were Mithila Shyamini, Assistant General Manager – Personal Banking, Malika De Silva, Senior Manager – Development Credit Department, and Chathura Dilshan, Executive Officer of the Department. The National Credit Guarantee Institution was represented by Jude Fernando, Chief Executive Officer, and Eranjana Chandradasa, Manager-Guarantee Administration.
‘Liya Shakthi’ is a credit guarantee product introduced by the NCGIL to facilitate greater access to financing for women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that possess viable business models and sound repayment capacity but lack adequate collateral to secure traditional bank loans.
Akbar Brothers crowned MBSA A-Division champions
Several spells of showers will occur in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces
Bondi Beach gunmen who killed 15 after targeting Jewish celebration were father and son, police say
Govt. urged to take action against deputy minister
India sends stock of life-saving medicines
George Keyt Foundation contributes to national disaster relief efforts
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features6 days agoFinally, Mahinda Yapa sets the record straight
-
News7 days agoCyclone Ditwah leaves Sri Lanka’s biodiversity in ruins: Top scientist warns of unseen ecological disaster
-
Features6 days agoHandunnetti and Colonial Shackles of English in Sri Lanka
-
Business4 days agoCabinet approves establishment of two 50 MW wind power stations in Mullikulum, Mannar region
-
News5 days agoGota ordered to give court evidence of life threats
-
Features7 days agoAn awakening: Revisiting education policy after Cyclone Ditwah
-
Features5 days agoCliff and Hank recreate golden era of ‘The Young Ones’
-
Opinion6 days agoA national post-cyclone reflection period?