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The Minister said that the Government’s objective is to develop the tourism industry in ways beneficial to all citizens since it has also become a means of eradicating poverty in many a developing country.
‘Aliya’ (named after the king of Sri Lanka’s wild beasts) built at a cost of Rs. 1.4 billion comprises 96 rooms and is a fusion of many things old and new. Participants in the opening ceremony included Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, Provincial Minister Pamitha Tennakoon, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Bhashwara Gunaratne and Aliya Hotel Chairman/Managing Director Chandra Wickremasinghe.
Addressing those who attended the event Wickremasinghe attributed the current success of tourism to the initial five-year tourism development plan implemented under Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s guidance on the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Aliya Holiday Resort has been built on a 20-acre area at a cost of US dollars 7.8 million. It will give jobs to 220 unemployed youth of the area and provide nearly 500 others with indirect employment.
Aliya Resort built in a 20 acre area blends in with the Sigiriya villages and the simple carefree lifestyle of the people who live here. The architecture successfully links the interior to the exterior landscapes; floor to ceiling windows throughout and what seems like miles of airy open areas.
Other facilities of the Resort & Spa also include a state-of-the-art Conference Hall and Meeting Rooms, a well equipped gym, two pools, elephant study centre, a paddy museum, an Ayurveda Spa with in-house doctor for personalised treatments.
Aliya’s lounge and bar ‘Migara’ is spectacular by day or night with a 180 panoramic view. ‘Makara’, brings the orient to life with its tantalising Chinese cuisine. ‘Nagula’, is a specialty restaurant, which borders the Paddy Museum and has a mouth watering repertoire of local dishes. The UNESCO world heritage, Sigiriya rock and Pidurangala seven kilometres away can be viewed from the hotel.
By 2016, 2.5 million tourists are expected to visit Sri Lanka. Last year 1,274,593 tourists – the highest number in history – visited the country, bringing in an income of US dollars 1.45 billion. During the period 43 more hotels joined the tourism sphere, providing direct jobs for 112,550 persons while indirectly employing 1,576,000 people.
The construction of the 50,000 new hotel rooms will create 500,000 new jobs associated with the tourism industry. The new holiday resorts will increase sources of foreign exchange and by 2016 Sri Lanka is expected to earn nearly three billion US dollars in FE annually.
