2013 – Page 2 – Udayanga Weeratunga

Sunday August 25th, 2013in Belarus 0 Comments 0 Likes

Arrival airport of Minsk

Historic Visit of H.E. the President to the Republic of Belarus
25th August 2013

Marking the beginning of a golden era in 13 year old diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Belarus, Sri Lankan President H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa commenced a State visit to this landlocked Eastern European country on 25 August 2013. This being the first Visit by a Sri Lankan Head of State to the Republic of Belarus further enhanced the significance of the event.
Once part of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Belarus is emerging as a nation with enormous economic potential backed by a government considered as one of the most politically stable in the Eastern European region. The President’s visit happened in an era where more and more powerful nations are eyeing the economic opportunities this landlocked country is beginning to unveil.
H.E. the President was warmly welcomed by the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Honorable Vladimir Makei upon arrival by a special aircraft at the Minsk National Airport at 1.30 PM on 25 August 2013. Belarusian girls in their traditional dresses greeted the Sri Lankan Leader by offering bread and salt which is an ancient Slavic custom of the country. The International Airport at Minsk had been beautifully decorated with Sri Lankan and Belarusian flags.
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Parlimentarian Hon. Sajin De Vas Gunawardane, President’s Secretary Mr.Lalith Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation H.E. Udayanga Weerathunga who is concurrently accredited to the Republic of Belarus were also present.
After the initial welcoming ceremony the President was escorted to the official VVIP hall and tea was served for the Sri Lankan delegation. The Belarusian Foreign Minister accompanied President Rajapaksa to the “President Hotel” in Minsk the capital city of Belarus, where the Sri Lankan leader was accommodated.
First mentioned in the Medieval Chronicles under the year of 1067, Minsk, the capital of Belarus has a population of 1.7 million. This picturesque city is ideally situated on the banks of the Svisloch River which in old days used to be one of the busiest trade routes connecting the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. Minsk today is a modern city with unparalleled infrastructure coupled with elegant architectural ensembles, fountains, shady parks and green boulevards and being regarded as one of the most developed cities of the former Soviet Union.

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Saturday August 24th, 2013in Caravan 4 0 Comments 0 Likes

Culture shared with Minsk

Sri Lankan Traditions shared with Republic of Belarus
24 August 2013
The role played by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board in supporting the efforts of the Sri Lankan Embassy in the Russian Federation in organizing these activities in the Republic of Belarus is also worthy of mention. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board which is the lead agency in promoting tourism in Sri Lanka actively participated in the event keeping in line with its two main objectives; Marketing and promoting Sri Lanka directly or indirectly as a tourist and travel destination of quality in accordance with the Tourism Development Plan and promoting Sri Lanka as a gateway to the South Asian Regions; and making Sri Lanka known as the Centre of Excellence in tourism management and development in the region.
The enormous task of organizing this event which heralded the beginning of another five-day tourism promotion campaign in the Commonwealth of Independent States would not have been possible, if not for the resolute and untiring efforts of His Excellency Udayanga Weeratunga, the Ambassador of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation. His vast experience and hard earned knowledge on tourism coupled with the flair for meticulous planning and attention to detail were the main contributory factors for the tremendous success achieved during a short span of time in popularizing Sri Lanka as a tourist destination in CIS countries.

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Friday August 23rd, 2013in Caravan 4 0 Comments 0 Likes

Culture shared with Stolista

Sri Lankan Culture and Traditions shared with Stolista Mall
23 August 2013
The cultural and traditional activities at the Stolista Mall commenced with an elaborate introduction to Sri Lanka by HE Udayanga Weeratunga, which was well received by the large gathering present at the mall. This was followed by Sri Lankan traditional dancing performances together with a “Perehara” which was a major attraction. Apart from these performances, leaflets, souvenirs, tourism promotional videos and T-shirts were distributed amongst those who were present in the mall. In addition more than five thousand Ceylon teacups were served to all those who had gathered to witness the event.
Amongst the Sri Lankan traditional items on display at the Stolitsa shopping mall handicrafts produced by the State owned Gift and Souvenir Boutique “Laksala” attracted a large number of visitors. Laksala, the renowned Gift and Souvenir Boutique in Sri Lanka lived up to its reputation by not only displaying various attractive handcrafted souvenirs but also assisting in conducting elaborate explanations on the items which were on display. The demonstration of carving of a mask by an expert craftsman created intrigue amongst the spectators who showed keenness to get to know the nitty-gritty of the art of carving masks.

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Thursday August 22nd, 2013in Caravan 4 0 Comments 0 Likes

Traditions shared with Minsk

Sri Lankan Culture and Traditions shared with People in Minsk
Grand Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Show- Mega Tourism Caravan 4 organized by the Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation commenced its activities with a glittering show at the Stolista Mall in the Minsk city which is the capital of the Republic of Belarus on the 24 September 2014. Meticulously planned and minutely executed under the close supervision of His Excellency Udayanga Weeratunga, the Ambassador to Russian Federation with accreditation to the Republic of Belarus, the show at the mall aptly named, Shopping Mall Activation showcasing the ‘Culture and Traditions’ of Sri Lanka was a tremendous success and gave the right impetus to other activities to follow.
According to many who visit Minsk, Stolitsa Mall is considered one of the best malls in the city. This Mega shopping Mall got pretty much everything from clothes to alcohol to souvenirs. Due to this Stolista Mall attracts large number of locals and foreigners and is ideal for tourism promotional activities.

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Tuesday July 16th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Caravan at Yekaterinburg

Caravan Arrives at the “Window on Asia”,Yekaterinburg
16 July 2013
On Sunday 15 July the “Mega Tourism Caravan” commenced its promotional program in Yekaterinburg. Yekaterinburg, alternatively Romanized as Ekaterinburg, is the fourth largest city in Russia and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk oblast, located in the middle of the Eurasian continent, on the border of Europe and Asia. The city was one of Russia’s first industrial cities, prompted at the start of the eighteenth century by decrees from the Tsar requiring the development in Yekaterinburg of metal-working businesses. The city was built, with extensive use of iron, to a regular square plan with iron works and residential buildings at the centre. These were surrounded by fortified walls; so that Yekaterinburg was at the same time both a manufacturing centre and a fortress at the frontier between Europe and Asia. It therefore found itself at the heart of Russia’s strategy for further development of the entire Ural region. The so-called Siberian highway became operational in 1763 and placed the city on an increasingly important transit route, which led to its development as a focus of trade and commerce between east and west, and gave rise to the description of the city as the “Window on Asia”.
The major activities of the day were shopping mall activation at Mega Yekaterinburg and open air cultural program at the Mayakovsky Central Park. Mega Ekaterinburg is one of the leading retail complexes in the Sverdlovsk Region: every fifth resident visits MEGA twice a month. In addition, it is one of the few shopping malls in the city that represents the quality retail segment. MEGA is one of the largest shopping malls in the city and is mentioned as the most visited shopping centre by the city residents. World-famous and Russian brands, including unique tenants for the whole region, such as IKEA and hypermarket Auchan opened their first stores here. During the shopping mall activation; Sri Lankan traditional dancing performances, distribution of leaflets/souvenirs, tourism promotional videos and liquid Ceylon tea service was successfully carried out.
In the evening the program was conducted at the Mayakovsky Central Park which is named after a famous Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. The park is the largest in Yekaterinburg and offers lots of recreation and amusements facilities for children and adults. The cultural show of three hours performed by the Dance Guild of the maestro Chandana Wickramasinghe, enthralled and pleased the audience with many a traditional dancing, drum fusion, mask dancing, drum orchestra and medley of folk songs.

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Monday July 15th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Workshop at Yekaterinburg

Mega Boost for Sri Lankan Tourism in Yekaterinburg
15 July 2013
On the final day of the tourism promotion campaign shopping mall activation and workshop for travel and tour operators were conducted at the Mega Yekaterinburg and Hotel Atrium Palace respectively. The workshop conducted in collaboration with Russian Express, Tez Tours, Connaissance Travels, Moldiviana, Coral Travels, Parks and Labriant Travels, at the Atrium Hotel in the morning hours had an attendance of over one hundred tour operators and was . Offering with free wifi and a great location just 15 minutes walk from Holy Trinity Cathedral and Yekaterinburg TV Tower, Atrium Palace is a perfect luxury four star hotel in the Yekaterinburg city center. In addition the hotel is near to the Metro station, Fine Arts Museum, Yekaterinburg Circus, Opera and Ballet House and Novo Tikhvinskiy Convent which are a five minute drive away. Other points of interest include Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, Afghanistan War Memorial, Church on Blood in Honor of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land and Ural State University.
Due the promotional events undertaken by the Embassy, SLTPB and other private sector enterprises there is substantial increment of tourist arrivals from Russia and CIS countries. During the year 2012 tourist arrivals from Russia and CIS countries marked as 51746, which is an increment of almost 64 per cent to the arrivals in 2011 (2011 – 31592). The tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2013 mark an increment of 22.4 per cent than of the same period of 2012. The following illustration indicates the annual increment of tourist arrival from CIS countries.
The “Mega Tourism Caravan” which was conducted in the Russian Federation for two weeks concluded its journey on 16 July. This mega campaign under taken by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russia, covering almost 4000 kilo meters and five major cities of the Russian Federation, would not have been a reality if not for the planning, guidance and supervision of the Ambassador Udayanga Weeeratunga.

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Saturday July 13th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Kashkadan Park, Ufa

Sri Lankan Night at the Kashkadan Park, Ufa
13 July 2013
Adding novelty to the campaign on Saturday the major promotional event, “Sri Lankan Night” was held at the Kashkadan Park, Ufa. It is one of the largest parks in the city, where carefully manicured landscapes are combined with the developed infrastructure for mass recreation and entertainment. During the program the cultural troupe entertained the large gathering with thirty six items of traditional dancing, drum fusion; mask dancing, drum orchestra and medley of folk songs. In addition distribution of tea sachets, leaflets/souvenirs, tourism promotional videos and gift packs was also carried out.
During the day time the promotional activities were conducted at the Mega Ufa. Mega Ufa is the 14th project of the network of family shopping centers developed by IKEA Real Estate in Russia. Total area of the shopping center makes 130 thousand square meters. Complex operation is ensured by approximately 3 000 employees. The shopping mall has a choice of retailers of about 180 different brands. The shops are grouped according to topic and located in several areas: Family, Teenage and Classic fashion, Sport, Electronic appliances, Food and Entertainment. Moreover, Mega Ufa shopping center offers its visitors a wide range of different services such as: a bank outlet, a beauty shop, a drycleaner’s, a drugstore and a travel agency. And, of course, one of the center’s main attractions is the central food court with an ice ring and countless operators of fast food, cafes and restaurants.
Spa conducted by the Siddhalepa was also a major attraction in the promotional campaign. Siddhalepa is the trademark of an herbal balm that is believed to help to relieve body aches and pains. With a sum of RS, 2,500/= Ayurvedic Doctor Victor Hettigoda began production of the balm in 1971. Dr. Hettigoda had spent 12 years under his father’s tutelage learning the secrets of Ayurveda. Hettigoda first sold the product by travelling around the country convincing boutique owners and small retailers that it was genuine. Victor Hettigoda’s dynamism knew no limits. He travelled to every remote village in Sri Lanka to promote the Siddhalepa Balm. His tireless efforts were ultimately rewarded. Today, his Company is a resounding success with a global network.
One of the most valued items, in terms of tourism promotion, is the audio CD distributed during the campaign. This package of two audio CD’s gives an exclusive commentary on 49 important tourist locations and covers Colombo, Kelaniya, Pinnawela Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Mihintale Polonnraruwa, Euwara Eliya, Kandy, Yala nad Galle. The package which is been published in Russian language is an excellent tour guide to the tourist from Russia and CIS countries. The first edition was published in 2008 and more than 5000 copies have been distributed. All tourists flying to Sri Lanka by Srilankan Airlines has been availed with the opportunity of listening to the on board Audio CD.

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Friday July 12th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Caravan Arrives in Ufa

“Mega Tourism Caravan” arrived in Kazan
12 July 2013
The third stop of the caravan was at Ufa, the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic. The city began as a fortress built on the orders of Ivan the Terrible in 1574, and originally bore the name of the hill it stood on, Tura-Tau. It was granted town status in 1586 and by the 18th century evolved into a trading, manufacturing and cultural center of Southern Ural. After the outbreak of the Pugachec’s Rebellion, it went through the most brutal events in its early history; the fortress and the city were in the middle of the military actions. For several months during the winter of 1773–1774, Ufa was under siege by Cossack and Bashkir insurgents until they were fought off by the arrived government forces.
Before becoming the seat of a separate Uafa Governorate in 1781, the city, along with the rest of the Bashkir lands, was under the jurisdiction of the Orenberg governors. And even though the 1796 reform reunited Orenburg and Ufa again, in 1802 the city of Ufa became a new center of the entire Orenberg Governorate that included large territories of modern-day Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenberg Oblast and Chelyabinsk Oblast. During the 1800-1810s, Scottish Russian architect William Heste developed a general city plan for Ufa as a regional capital shaping the modern outline of its historical center.
On Friday, a very successful workshop was held at the ‘President Hotel’, in collaboration with ‘Russian Express’, a renowned tour operator in Russia. Russian Express Holding was founded in 1996 and has become one of the leaders of the Russian tourist business since that time. Besides sales-centers in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Yekaterinburg there Russian Express subsidiaries and representative offices in Izhevsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-on Don, Samara, Ufa and Chelyabinsk. Russian Express is one of the leading Russian tour operators which send Russian tourists abroad to more than fifty countries.
Addressing the audience of more than one hundred tour operators the Ambassador spoke about history, climatic conditions, major tourist attractions, major cities, visa procedures and recent infrastructure developments in the spheres’ of socio – economic and tourism of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Airlines and Russian Express also conducted presentations at the venue. The venue for Friday’s major event “The President Hotel” is the largest in Ufa, which has the most modern hotel room capacity among the hotels of its class in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
In the evening the Ambassador paid a courtesy call on Mr. Khamitov R. Zakievich, President of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

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Thursday July 11th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Mega successful in Kazan

Caravan-3 successful day of the tourism campaign, in Kazan
11 July 2013
Thursday, 11 July was the second successful day of the tourism campaign, in Kazan, the city with largest Information Technology Park in Russia. It is also, one of the largest industrial and financial centers of Russia, and a leading city of the Volga Economic Region in construction and accumulated investment.
On Thursday, the major promotional event was the shopping mall activation at Mega Kazan. Mega Kazan is one of the most visited complexes in the city with brand awareness of 98% and a number of unique stores such as Inditex brands, Karen Millen, Decathlon, New Look, Mothercare, MoDaMo. The main tenants of MEGA are Swedish IKEA store and the German DY retailer OBI. In Kazan the name is true – so far it has been the biggest mall. It is also the most attractive for weekend shopping with lots of cars at the parking with license plates from all over the Volga region. For many IKEA or OBI are the main targets. Locals prefer to choose between lots of street fashion shops, including Zara, Mango, Mexx, Gant, CK jeans, Next. The skating ring in the catering are is always occupied with kids and couples. Food court is traditional with fast food, sushi and the Il Patio restaurant.
Kazan boasts a well-developed retail market while other cities in the Republic of Tatarstan are still at the early stages of retail market development. Residents of these other towns and cities prefer to travel to Kazan to shop. As a rule, the people of Kazan prefer to do their shopping ar retail complexes and hypermarkets.
At the shopping mall many a handicraft produced by the State owned Gift and Souvenir Boutique “Laksala” were displayed thus attracting large number of visitors to the Sri Lankan stand. Established under the National Skills Act of 1982 this renowned Gift and Souvenir Boutique operates through ten branches located island wide and offer the widest variety of all Sri Lankan products at a reasonable price. Most importantly, Laksala enables the numerous industries that supply goods to it to stay both profitable and in business.
Another major attraction during the activation was the tantalizing dancing performance of the Sri Lankan Dancing troupe. The Perehara which travelled through the mall was also highly taken up by the gathering. Distribution of booklets, leaflets, T shirts and gift packs too were carried out at the venue. Here also the liquid tea service organized by the embassy served more than one thousand visitors.

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Wednesday July 10th, 2013in Caravan 3 0 Comments 0 Likes

Mega arrived in Kazan

“Mega Tourism Caravan” arrived in Kazan
10 July 2013
Having conducted a successful campaign in Nizhny the “Mega Tourism Caravan” arrived in Kazan on Wednesday, 10 July. Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarsta, Russia. With a population of 1,143,535, it is the eight most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazankas in European Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is a World Heritage site and in 2005, the medal “In commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan” was established by Russia to denote this landmark event. The multi-ethnic city is honored by UNESCO and famous for Muslims and Christians living side-by-side in peace.
Kazan is one of the largest industrial and financial centers of Russia, and a leading city of the Volga Economic Region in construction and accumulated investment. Total banking capital of Kazan banks is third in Russia. The main industries of the city are: mechanical engineering, chemical, petrochemical, light and food industries. An innovative economy is represented by the largest IT-park in Russia which is one of the largest of its kind among Eastern Europe science parks Kazan ranks 174th (highest in Russia) in Mercer’s Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.
Major events o the date were shopping mall activation at Mega Kazan and workshop for tour and travel operators at Hotel Kazan Riviera. At the Admiral Hall of the Hotel Kazan Riviera, the proceedings of the day commenced with traditional dances of the cultural troupe. The Ambassador who was the main speaker of the day conducted a very educative presentation on Sri Lankan Tourism. During the presentation he covered salient points such as history, climatic conditions, major tourist attractions, major cities, visa procedures and recent infrastructure developments in the spheres’ of socio – economic and tourism. Sri Lankan Airlines also conducted a presentation at the venue. The workshop which was well attended had almost one hundred and twenty five tour and travel operators.
“Kazan Riviera” hotel and entertainment complex are located on the bank of Kazanka River, and its aqua park has become the bright pearl among the numerous treasures of the city admired by thousands of tourists. There is not a single citizen in Kazan who is not familiar with the grand silhouettes of this unique European-style resort. The complex comprises: “Riviera” hotel – the tallest four-star hotel in Tatarstan, ultra-modern “Riviera” aquapark – one of the largest in the world, beach with heated outdoor pools, “Planet Fitness” fitness club of premium level, “Riviera” entertainment complex.

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Yearly Archives: 2013

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