Imalka Senadhira was born in Sri Lanka but currently resides in the United States. She travels to many destinations around the world on a regular basis and has flown a variety of leading airlines. She recently needed to increase her travel to the Seychelles after her husband was posted there on work. Since Mihin Lanka introduced a direct flight from Colombo to Mahe, she and her daughter have added trips to Sri Lanka into their travel itinerary and visit the Seychelles two to three times a year.

Commenting on why she prefers to fly Mihin Lanka, Imalka Senadhira stated, “Whenever I take a short haul flight to an Asian destination, I always try my best to fly with Mihin Lanka. The airline is renowned for its punctuality and is extremely reliable where safety and punctuality is concerned..The on-board service is also extremely efficient and the cabin crew is very helpful and hospitable. Mihin Lanka consistently attends to all the needs of all passengers and goes out of their way to ensure that each and every passenger has a comfortable and pleasant flying experience.”

Highlighting Mihin Lanka’s commitment to hospitality and high standards of service, Senadhira stated, “When I first boarded Mihin Lanka, I was deeply impressed with the traditional Sri Lankan hospitality and warmth of the crew members. Each time I visit Sri Lanka and fly Mihin Lanka, I feel closer to my roots and cultural heritage. I feel at home when I fly Mihin Lanka and I love the Sri Lankan spirit that I experience on-board each flight. The high standards of seamless service we experienced from thetime we purchased our ticket to the time we disembarked in Seychelleshas beenimpressiveand memorable..”

Sharing a memorable moment she has experienced on-board Mihin Lanka, Senadhira stated, “Another reason I loyally fly Mihin Lanka, is because they provided my daughter with an incredible experience on her first solo flight. My daughter has a hearing impairment and I have always been scared of letting her fly alone. We wanted to slowly get her used to flying on her own, so we decided to let her enjoy her maiden flight on-board Mihin Lanka. The high quality service and reassurance that the crew and ground staff offered her was truly amazing. I have flown many different airlines and I’m not sure that she would have received such high levels of support and personalised assistance on any other airline. We will always be thankful for Mihin Lanka for providing our daughter with a great first flight experience; we trusted Mihinand they did a fantastic job of looking after her.”

source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=117577

On Saturday the 6th December Fairway Holdings launched ‘Fairway Galle’, its fifth vertical living development project in the heritage city of Galle with a classical music concert by the Chamber Music Society of Colombo at the historic Dutch Reformed Church in Galle Fort followed by the unveiling of the model building at Hotel Tamarind Hill in Dadalle. Whilst all previous developments are in Rajagiriya, this is their first project out-of-Colombo.

Fairway Holdings, a leader in the field of luxury high-rise development, embarked on its latest venture – ‘Fairway Galle’ combining the convenience of contemporary living with the quaint charm of this southern coastal city with a heritage spanning over three centuries. The development is in close proximity to the city and a myriad of significant historical attractions as well as a wide array of other recreational activities. Some of the most popular beaches of the south such as Unawatuna, Thalpe and Hikkaduwa are a short drive away.

Designed by Archt Ananda Samarasinghe and constructed by MAGA Engineering, the apartment complex is to be 12 stories high, with ten 750 to 1156 square feet apartments per floor. While the construction work is due to commence in January 2015, the project is due to be completed in early 2017.

Equipped with all modern amenities, the apartment complex will be just a ten minute walk from the beach, and a ten minute drive from the Galle Fort. ‘Fairway Galle’ is conveniently located close to the Galle exit of the Southern Expressway, making commuting from Colombo a breeze. As with every Fairway property this will feature every modern amenity including 24/7 security, a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, activity room, helipad, club house, gym, kids play area, a convenience store and a jogging track, ensuring the convenience and comfort of all its homeowners.

In less than a decade, Fairway Holdings has gained a sterling reputation for their visionary work, and have been lauded for delivering exceptional value while providing homeowners with the ultimate experience in vertical luxury living. Fairway was the proud recipient of ICTAD Construction Excellence Awards in 2007 and 2010, for their first and second developments Fairway – on the Waterfront, and Fairmount-Urban Oasis. Fairway Holdings promotes sustainability and environmental responsibility, continuously striving to maintain eco-friendly practices with all their projects, and execute their plans in a socially responsible manner. Fairway’s properties follow a ‘Live Green’ concept that prioritizes energy efficiency and minimizes the waste of Sri Lanka’s valuable natural resources, such as water. The designs also maximize the use of natural ventilation and lighting. All these excellent practices and priorities will hold true when it comes to the construction of Fairway Galle, making it a another iconic symbol of the Group’s green vision.

‘Fairway Galle’ is ideal as your home, a second home or even as a prudent investment in this city that harbors a UNESCO world heritage site. More information can be had by calling 011 7423423 or visiting http://www.fairwaygalle.com.

source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=115896

The national carrier currently operates a total of 15 weekly flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and Hong Kong and with this initiative, will be marking its presence in the South-western China as well.

While, Kunming, with many attractions such museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions, is expected attract many leisure and business travellers from South Asian and Middle Eastern regions, SriLankan also gives the residents of the Yunnan Province the opportunity to explore the natural beauty and rich heritage of Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, SriLankan will be operating three weekly flights, departing Kunming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 0255 hrs to arrive in Colombo at 0545 hrs.

Also, the Airlines will operate three departing flights from Colombo on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1835 hrs to arrive in Kunming at 0150 hrs.

Passengers will also get the opportunity to enjoy the relaxing ambience and easy reclining seating on board SriLankan Airlines’A320 aircraft that will be operated on the route.

SriLankan Airlines, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kapila Chandrasena said, “SriLankan Airlines has always viewed the Far East as one of its priority markets where a gradual increase in the number of tourists seeking Sri Lanka for holidaying has driven the airline to look into more expansion opportunities to cater to the growing demand as well as to motivate more travellers from both countries to explore the beauty of the two destinations.

Moreover, SriLankan has been constantly enhancing its product and services to meet the demands of the modern day traveller.

As a result, the first all new A330-300 aircraft which was added to our fleet recently as part of our wide-body fleet renewal programme, will be assigned primarily on the Far Eastern Routes such as Bangkok, Tokyo, Canton and Beijing.”

“China is very much part of the long term strategy of SriLankan to evolve its network.”

In addition to our scheduled operations to China, SriLankan currently operates a weekly charter flight to Chongqing which will continue till mid-December until we resume operations in January next year.”

This addition of a new destination will benefit the passengers who are seeking onward connections to Middle East, India and the Maldives.

With 40 flights a week to 8 Middle Eastern cities, 88 weekly flights to seven Indian destinations and 36 weekly frequencies to Male, SriLankan passengers can now enjoy seamless connectivity from Colombo.

SriLankan’s codeshare services to the Seychelles with its sister carrier, Mihin Lanka also provides a greater convenience for the leisure travellers.

Having welcomed the one millionth Chinese tourist to the island in September this year, Sri Lanka sees a clear increase in numbers of Chinese travellers arriving in the country compared to last year.

According to Sri Lanka Tourist Board statistics, from January to October this year, Sri Lanka has received 106,888 tourists from China, which is a 139% increase compared to the number (44, 742) recorded during the same period last year.

Sri Lanka, the island nation that is predominantly known for its breath-taking aquamarine beaches and vibrant wildlife has become an ideal family holiday getaway.

From its ancient architectural marvels, the ever-green tea gardens enveloped in the country’s central hills, wildlife parks which are home to many spectacular flora and fauna, to the modern metropolitan charms in the Capital and scrumptious Sri Lankan cuisine that tantalises any palate, the island can enrich the travel experience of any type of traveller.

Elaborating further on the Airlines’ expansion plans, Mr. Chandrasena added, “SriLankan had operated Charter flights from Kunming in the past, and this initiative comes into being after various evaluations and many tourism promotional activities conducted in the region by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.”

Source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=115889

He said that they already have two franchise Ayurveda spas in Germany and said that there was good demand for high quality and genuine Ayurveda products.

“However, back in Sri Lanka the quality of some of the treatment is substandard and this could have a negative impact to the growing wellness industry in Sri Lanka,’’ he said.

Hettigoda also said that they would provide high salary employment to many youth from this project. He said that in most instances, clients take basic treatment from spas in Germany and then travel to Sri Lanka for advanced long duration treatment to their hotel, Siddhalepa Ayurvedic Health Resort in Wadduwa. ‘This helps us to maintain high occupancies at the hotel,’ he said.

The star class hotel with 50 rooms, was completely refurbished recently. He also disclosed that they were now working with one of the leading German Insurance Companies, Centrovital in a bid to seek German Government approval for Ayurveda treatment to be included in their insurance policy. He said that he also had an on air therapy for long haul flights where a masseur would be on board.

‘I have presented this proposal to SriLankan Airlines and was awaiting their response. This would be the first time in the world an airline would offer Ayurveda massages on a flight and it would add tremendous value to the national carrier.’’

(Source : http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/03/11/bus01.asp )