5-star hotels cheapest in Sri Lanka, Asian survey shows
Travellers searching for the most value-for-money stay in a five- star hotel can find the cheapest options in Sri Lanka, says online travel company Kayak after a recent analysis of five- star hotels in countries across Asia.
It said Sri Lanka offers the cheapest five- star luxury hotels with average rates starting from just Singapore$241 (US$178.80) per night. For instance, Earl’s Regency, a hilltop retreat located in the town of Kandy boasts average prices that start at just S$208.
India and Malaysia follow closely behind with average rates at S$243 and S$244 respectively. Hong Kong has the most expensive five- star hotels with average rates at S$461.
Debby Soo, Kayak’s vice president APAC, was quoted as saying that travelling on a budget does not mean completely ignoring luxurious hotels.
The government, in a bid to overcome fraud where the same entrance ticket is sold repeatedly at tourist attraction sites, has since June 1 begun selling entrance tickets only at the site.
This method was adopted with the aim of avoiding frauds happening on a large scale which was brought to the notice of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) that was in charge of charging these fees from visitors. Officials at the CCF state that a large number of frauds were carried out in the recent past due to the fact that tickets were issued previously in Colombo with upto 14 days in advance. This caused some racketeers to sell these tickets repeatedly as a result of which the practice was changed since June 1.
It was pointed out that following discussion with the travel industry since last December both parties seemed keen on improving the situation as a result of which they would be purchasing tickets sold with one day validity only and at the entrance to the sites, officials at the CCF explained.
However, some travel industry persons from Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators ( SLAITO) had approached the fund saying that they found it cumbersome to purchase it at the site due to the delays.
over the report to the Secretary General of Parliament on the morning of June 26 (Friday) with a request that it be listed in the next order paper.
But by Friday evening, the President issued the gazette notification dissolving the legislature.
On the economic front, the Governor said that a growth of 7 per cent is attainable this year with an expansion of 6.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year. “The second-half growth is expected to be higher with fast recovery in the construction sector kicking in,” he added.
Source : http://epaper.dailymirror.lk/epaper/viewer.aspx
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