SriLankan Airlines Pro 2011 Surf Contest Brings Best Surfers to Arugam Bay with ASP

17th July 2011, www.sundaytimes.lk

Sri Lanka’s eastern coastal resort Arugam Bay plays host for the second consecutive year, to the ‘SriLankan Pro Surf 2011’ - one of the world’s top-rated surfing events, as part of SriLankan Airlines’ multi-pronged strategy to position the island as one of the world’s most sought after travel and sporting destinations, the airline said.

With two principal events – the LongBoard Men’s Championship Event and the ShortBoard Women’s World Qualifying Series Event - the ‘SriLankan Airlines Pro 2011’ tournament will attract top stars of the surfing world to Arugam Bay from 30th August to 4th September, with over a 100 competitors from around the world. The women’s event is also a Six Star World Qualifier and will be held in Sri Lanka for the first time with nearly 60 participants from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Hawaii, South Africa, Peru, Chile, Japan, UK, Indonesia and France, billed to ride the waves off Sri Lanka’s east coast, the airline statement added.

Organized by the Australian Surf Professional ASP, the SriLankan Airlines Pro 2011 is an important event for professional surfers. It has the highest rating of ‘Six Stars’ on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour by which competitors qualify to contest for the World Title. ‘SriLankan Airlines Pro 2011’ will showcase the picturesque southeast resort of Arugam Bay aka A-Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, positioning it as a destination for all types of beach lovers, and not just for surfers. It will also bring high exposure to Sri Lanka as a leisure island.

SriLankan Airlines’ Chairman, Nishantha Wickremasinghe said, “Sri Lanka is firmly back on the world travel map and has proved its ability to host mega events such as this. Having been associated with the sport of surfing for nearly a decade, SriLankan Airlines is happy to bring this top level competition to our shores once again, thus showcasing both Sri Lanka as a holiday destination and the stunning A-Bay in particular.”

Related Info :

• Association of Surfing Professionals Selects Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay for World Qualifying Surfing Series

• Billabong Joins Surfing's ASP 6 Star SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka from 18 - 24 June

• Sri Lanka is Asia’s Best Surf Destination of the Year 2010 - Floating Asia Magazine

Sri Lanka's Jetwing Plans Resorts in Central & East to Add 500 Rooms over next 2 Years

25th June 2011, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka's privately held Jetwing leisure group, is planning new project in the central and war-torn eastern areas of the island that will add 500 rooms over the next two years catering to a post-war boom, officials said.

"We are really excited about the East and we want to build in Trincomalee, Arugam Bay and Pasikudah," Jetwing chairman Hiran Cooray said.

"We think there is lot of potential in the East."

Tourist arrivals have increased by 46 percent last year and the five months up to May arrivals have increased 40 percent to 328,000 from a year earlier.

Pasikudah, a once popular resort destination before ethnic riots and the Tamil Tiger insurgency is making a gradual comeback with hoteliers aggressively constructing hotels along the bay.

In May 2011 Maalu Maalu Resorts and Spas opened a 40 chalet fishing village style resort in Pasikudah, the first resort hotel to complete construction in the small fishing hamlet since the end of the war in May 2009.

The Jetwing group is looking at building an managing a 750 million rupee 80 room resort in Pasikudah.

"We are looking at 50 rooms in the first phase and another 30 in the second," managing director of Jetwing Hotels, Ruwan Samarasinghe said.

"Construction will begin as soon as approval comes."

Jetwing upgraded a hotel in Negambo, near Sri Lanka's international airport in the Western coast Friday to 4-star standard Friday relaunching it as 'Jetwing Blue'. The firm said it spent 8 million US dollars to spruce up the 112 room

property spread across nine acres.

The group has four properties in Negambo.

The company has already announced plans to build hotels in Colombo, Jaffna, Uppuveli and Nilaveli in Trincomalee, Kandy, Yala and Dambulla.

Jetwing says an 80 room four star hotel is on the cards for Dambulla, which will cost 800 million rupees to build.

The construction of the hotel will consolidate Jetwing’s presence in the island’s cultural triangle of Anudhapura, Polonnaruwa and Dambulla where the main tourist attraction is Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress.

Construction of the hotel in Dambulla is set to begin over the next six month.

“We hope to add 500 hotel rooms to the industry within the next 24 months”, Jetwing’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Trevor Reckerman said.

Tourism authorities are expecting 750,000 arrivals this year and plan to attract 2.5 million tourists by 2016. Officials estimate that the industry needs 35,000 hotel rooms to cater to the demand up from the current 15,000.

Related Info :

• Jetwing Goes Public with Five New Hotels in Yala, Dambulla, Trinco, Jaffna and Colombo

• Two Loris Sighted on Jetwing Trail at Vil Uyana, Sigiriya

Sri Lanka is Asia’s Best Surf Destination of the Year 2010 - Floating Asia Magazine

05th May 2011, www.news360.lk

Sri Lanka has been selected as the best Surf Destination of the year 2010 by the “Floating Asia Magazine”.

Floating Asia is a Magazine dedicated to the people who want to enjoy, explore and experience the Asian Surf Breaks, Dive Sites and the Asian Liveaboards.

The Award Ceremony took place yesterday at the Asia Dive Expo Exhibition which is currently underway in Singapore.

ASIA DIVE EXPO is among the largest Scuba Diving Exhibitions in Asia and the occasion was also used to launch the 3rd Edition of the Floating Asia Magazine.

Maldives won the Asian Liveaboard of the year 2010 while Thailand bagged the award for the Asian Dive destination of the year.

Image: Floating Asia Magazines being sold at Asia Dive Expo Exhibition in Singapore


Related Info :

• Arugam Bay - One of the World's Top Ten Surf Spots

• Billabong Joins Surfing's ASP 6 Star SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka from 18 - 24 June

• After a four year absence the UK PRO SURF TOUR returns to Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Billabong Joins Surfing's ASP 6 Star SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka from 18 - 24 June

03rd June 2010, www.arugam.info

The fast approaching SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay today announced the inclusion of Billabong as a support sponsor to this exciting new addition to the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Six-Star World Tour.

With just two weeks remaining until the event begins, Billabong’s involvement adds to the events prestige and its overall activation. Billabong Asia Brand Manager Peter Thew is excited to enter into this partnership in a region that boasts a myriad of incredible surf locations.

“We are constantly having new places and new pockets of surfing communities brought to our attention all through the Asia region” said Thew. “It’s a huge honour to be teaming up with SriLankan Airlines and ASP Australasia to further help highlight another one of these truly amazing parts of the world.”

The event begins on June 18 and the field line-up is super high quality and international with surfers travelling from all key ASP regions throughout the world. Wild card surfers into the event are to be announced shortly.

The SriLankan Airlines Pro will be live webcast and will include a quality produced and globally distributed television show along with television newsfeeds distributed internationally throughout the event as well as highest quality digital images focusing on the event, the environment, wildlife and of course the abundance of surf from the region.

Association of Surfing Professionals Selects Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay for World Qualifying Surfing Series

14th May 2010, www.news.lk

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) have chosen Arugam Bay, one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful locations to conduct this year's World Qualifying Series competition under the banner ‘Sri Lankan Airlines Pro 2010’, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau revealed.

According to the Tourism Promotion Bureau sources, the participation of 128 world class competitors representing Australia, USA, Germany, Portugal, Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, Indonesia, Hawaii, South Africa, Great Britain, Japan, Puerto Rico, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, New Zealand and Tahiti has increased the attractiveness of the event
which will run from June 18-24.

Sri Lanka on Google Maps - Areas of Development Activities, Cultural, Religious and Leisure

Adamas Peak : Religious/Cultural

Anuradhapura : Religious/Cultural/Leisure

Arugam Bay : Leisure (Surfing)

Batticaloa : Investment/Leisure (Beach)

Colombo : Investment / Commerce

Galle : Cultural/Leisure (Beach)

Hambantota Magampura Port (Harbour) : Investment












Hikkaduwa : Leisure (Beach)

Jaffna : Religious/Cultural/Investment/Leisure

Kalpitiya : Investment/Leisure (Sea)














Kandy : Religious/Cultural/Leisure/Investment

Kataragama : Religious/Leisure

Kumana - Yala East National Park : Leisure (Wildlife)

Maankulam : Investment

Mannar : Investment/Leisure

Mattala (New Airport) : Investment

Negombo : Leisure (Beach)

Nilaveli : Leisure (Beach)












Norochcholai : Investment/Energy

Nuwara Eliya : Leisure

Pasikuda and kalkuda : Investment/Leisure (Beach)

Polonnaruwa : Religious/Cultural/Leisure

Pulmoddai : Investment

Sigiriya : Cultural/Leisure










Sinharaja Forest Reserve : Nature

Trincomalee : Investment/Leisure (Beach)

Wilpattu National Park : Leisure (Wildlife)

Yala National Park : Leisure (Wildlife)

See Also:
• Sri Lanka Links
• Map of Sri Lanka

UK Boosts Sri Lanka's Popularity with 16.9% Arrivals Increase, End Of Country's Conflict Aids Tourism

07th October, 2009, www.eturbonews.com, By eTN Staff Writer

The Indian Ocean island welcomed the highest number of British tourists in 2009 during the month of August, representing an increase of more than 1,000 visitors over August last year. Sri Lanka recorded a 16.9 percent increase in UK arrivals and a 32 percent increase in arrivals for the month across all destinations.

According to the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau, forward bookings indicate a strong finish to the year helped by the end of the conflict in the country and the subsequent relaxation of the FCO advice, which has opened up additional major tourist attractions such as Yala National Park, Trincomalee, and Arugam Bay.

Sanjika Perera, UK director of tourism commented: "We are delighted that people have chosen to visit over the last few months, showing the renewed confidence in Sri Lanka as a safe and value for money destination.

"We have worked on a persistent promotional campaign in conjunction with the hotel industry back home and with our airline and tour operator partners in the UK, and the results have been very positive. To have improved visitor figures during the recession shows that the British public are aware of the diversity that Sri Lanka offers and keen to experience an Indian Ocean break, at an attractive price."

Image via lankajournal.com