“From its misty hilltop tea plantations and roaming wild elephants, to its ancient temples and rolling surf, Sri Lanka is a country that ticks lots of boxes,” says the BBC’s inaugural guide to travel this year.
Referring to the country’s troubled recent past – including its declaration of bankruptcy, the pandemic and civil unrest – the guide explains that “the island nation is hoping to get back on its feet through tourism.”
Among ‘what’s new,’ the guide cites the opening of Sri Lanka’s first seven star resort (Aviyana Private Chalets), the new family villa at Aarunya Nature Resort, which it notes has an oculus for stargazing, and the US$ 1.2 billion Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams.
Also worthy of mention by the BBC is the launch of Sri Lanka’s new airline Air Ceilão, “which will fly as far as Europe and Australia.” According to several news reports, the local startup has applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) for an air operator’s certificate and hopes to be in the air by May this year.