If golden beaches, luscious tea estates, misty mountains, mighty elephants, stealthy leopards, giant whales, timeless ruins, lovely tea and warm smiles could sum up a country, that would be Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka really has it all compacted in to a mere 65,610 sq km land area. Lonely Planet has ranked Sri Lanka as the top destination to visit in 2019. Tourist visits to Sri Lanka have increased dramatically since the end of the 26-year conflict, from 447,890 in 2009 to an all time high of 2.4 million in 2018. Now is the moment to visit this beautiful island, while it still has its laid back charm, full of wonders and waiting to be explored.
Why Sri Lanka is such a unique tourist destination?
Authenticity
This is the new wave of tourism in Sri Lanka with a strong focus in providing unique concepts through experiences and what is called “emotion” to the clients. The intention is to go beyond typical tourist movements and introduce concepts relating to local lifestyles, elements of its culture, engagement with local people etc. The smiles and hospitality of Sri Lanka is world famous and so are its spicy food, exotic fruits and array of sweetmeats found nowhere in the world. With so many cultures living next to each other, life in Sri Lanka continues among a series of festivities throughout the year, an ideal recipe for fun and leisure for the traveler seeking authentic experiences.
Compactness
With many sites and scenes bottled up in to a small island, a traveler could be riding the waves in the dawn and admiring the green carpeted mountains by dusk. With only 65,610sqkm land mass, the entire island of Sri Lanka can be explored within a few days time. Even the longest distance across the country can be covered within a few hours time and if you are flying, within one hour making it an ideal destination for both short and long visits.
Diversity
The third and the biggest advantage is the unparalleled diversity of the products that Sri Lanka can offer. Sri Lanka is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, as it contains mixture of golden beaches, rare unique wildlife, breath-taking landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. Despite its relatively small size, Sri Lanka possesses a high level of bio-diversity due to its wide range of topographic and climatic variations. The country is also home to 8 UNESCO World Heritage Cites which not many countries can boast about
With a string of newly opened boutique hotels as well as luxury resorts and hotels island wide, improved road and rail network across the island and well established domestic flight network to all major tourist attractions, the country is emerging as a destination for all who seek unique travel diaries.