Category Archives: Travel

Linking the Balkans to Sri Lanka

fleetLinking the Balkans to Sri Lanka

Air Serbia (JU) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Serbia. The airline was formerly known as Jat Airways until it was renamed in 2013.

Air Serbia now offers flights to Colombo Sri Lanka from Bosnia and Herzegovina and of course from Serbia.

Outbound flights operate every Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday

Inbound flights operate every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Flights depart Banju Luke Airport (BNX) in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3.15pm and operates via Belgrade.

Flights depart Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) in Belgrade, Serbia at 11.15pm

Both flights connect via Abu Dhabi (AUH) and code share with its partner Etihad Airways using one of its new Airbus A320 aircrafts. You can even use your Etihad air miles points on the Air Serbia sectors.

Flights arrive the next day in Colombo Sri Lanka at 8pm.

Serbian hospitality

economy-class-sExperience true Serbian hospitality with greater comfort and excellent service in both Economy and Business class.

On your way between Belgrade and Abu Dhabi they offer Fly and Play KIDS PACKS to keep children entertained when traveling.

Each kit contains a collection of games and fun items including snap cards, a puzzle book, stickers, a jigsaw, stationery and an aviation-themed soft book, featuring a fun eagle mascot throughout. The packs can be taken home and reused after the flight.

To Book Air Serbia and other major airlines to Sri Lanka and beyond, click HERE and compare prices at 700 travel sites in one simple go.

Another NEW Flight Service to Sri Lanka

ukraine b767Ukraine International Airlines (PS). Is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Ukraine. Is going to launch the schedule flights to Sri Lanka from the 5th November 2016.

Ukraine International Airlines will be operating non-stop scheduled flights between Kiev and Colombo.

The flights will be operated by one of their Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with three-class cabin configuration – Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class.

Flight schedule:

Flight Destination Days Departure* Arrival*
PS387 Kiev – Colombo Tue & Fri 20:20 08:30+1
PS388 Colombo – Kiev Wed & Sat 11:00 17:25

*Local time

UIA offers round-trip economy class tickets for Colombo – Kiev flights from 832 USD (all taxes and surcharges included; subject to currency fluctuations).

This is even more Good news for Sri Lanka’s tourism and is in addition to the NEW Services already announced by KLM, Austrian Airlines & Thomson Airways.

Its a wonder they have room at the airport with all these new services.

To Book Ukraine Airways or any other major airline to Sri Lanka or beyond click HERE



The General Sri Lanka Tourism Plan For 2016

Sigiriya RockAccording to statistics, Sri Lanka Tourism recorded 18.1% growth on arrivals with 1.5 million arrivals for the year during 2015 up to November. It is estimated from these figures that the revenue generated by tourism was US2.2 billion dollars. In an effort to continue this trend, a general Sri Lanka Tourism Plan for 2016 has been created based on 5 key objectives.

The Key Performance Measures (KPMs) are
– reach an annual growth rate of 26%
– to attract 2.2 million visitors
– increase average spend per tourist to US200 per day
– generate total tourist revenue to US2.75 billion dollars
– increasing Sri Lanka’s brand value to US80 million dollars

It is against these key performance measures that the success of tourism in Sri Lanka will be measured.

Indeed Sri Lanka has a lot to offer.

The cultural triangle incorporating Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa attracts those with cultural interests in viewing their UNESCO World Heritage sites, whilst the beaches of the east and south attract the water sports enthusiast as well as the sun worshippers.

With 26 national parks, naturalists and photographers can develop their interest in the many safari pacakages, whilst the adventurer can do white river rafting, ballooning, whale watching, as well as many other adrenalin seeking activities.

With the great diversity of what Sri Lanka has to offer, it is no wonder that tourists are selecting Sri Lanka as one of their preferred holiday destinations.

Fly to Sri Lanka from 151 European Destinations

turkish_airlines_pic11Turkish Airlines (TK) is an international airline based in Turkey. It serves over 280 routes in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Turkish Airlines is also a member of Star Alliance, which currently has 28 member airlines that fly around the world.

Fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka from 151 European Destinations, including:

Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Berlin, Bucharest, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Faro, Geneva, Helsinki, London Gatwick, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Munich, Milan, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sofia, Tallinn, Valencia, Vienna, Venice, Warsaw.

Flights operate via Istanbul which is well known for excellent restaurants, cafes and shopping.

Turkish Airlines operates an Airbus A330 aircraft 5 days a week from Istanbul to Colombo via Male in The Maldives.

Days Departure/Arrival
Istanbul-Maldives- Colombo
Monday,Wednesday,
Thursday,Friday,Sunday
01:10 – 11:55 – 15:10    (TK730)
Colombo-Maldives– Istanbul
Monday,Wednesday,
Thursday,Friday,Sunday
21:40 – 22: 40 –  05:45

(TK 731)

Don’t be put off by flying via The Maldives, there is no need to change aircraft, it just stops in Male to drop off/pick up passengers and is on the ground for aprox just 55 minutes. Actually landing in the Maldives is quite an experience if you’ve never done it before, just make sure you get a window seat. Check out our photos.

                                946491_10151328138587242_1176267029_n    941816_10151328138187242_1991529056_n    8324811413_51ac8ff1dc_b

Economy Class

More Legroom

Passengers on Turkish Airlines flights have about 2 feet 9 inches of legroom. Compared to other international airlines, Turkish Airlines flights have about 1.79 Inches of additional legroom.

Slender Seats

Seats are about 1 foot 5 inches wide and recline about 6 inches, which is slightly smaller than the average for all international flights.

Recline Farther

Seats recline about 6 inches, which is 33% farther than the average for all international airlines.

One of the best flying experience!

Overall a perfect flying experience! Great service amazing food extremely friendly staff and perfectly maintained aircraft! Had a free wifi during all flight! Extremely good service not just for economy class but especially for economy class! Welcome package with socks, lipbalm, slippers etc .. great flying option for a very affordable price!

To Book Turkish Airlines and any other major airlines to Sri Lanka, click HERE

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

In the past to travel to Jaffna, Sri Lanka, you needed a special visa stamp in your passport. Since January 2015 this has now changed. Jaffna is now open for tourists full-time.

Being located in the very north of Sri Lanka, Northern Province is sometimes referred to as Sri Lanka’s Tamil country.

minidagobas of Kantharodai Viharaya JaffnaPreviously its visitors tended to be salesmen and distributors, but with the opening up of Jaffna, the town is slowly getting ready for the influx of tourists. Testimony to this is the construction work for new accommodation choices, and the conversion of homes into homestays.

The major attractions in the area include the Nallur Kovil temple, Jaffna Fort, the hot springs at Keerimalai , the Nilavari Bottomless Well and the mysterious mini dagobas of Kantharodai Viharaya. Day trips include a trip to Delft Island to see the wild horses.

The coastal beach of Casuarina Beach may not be to European standards but hopefully amenities will improve there soon.

Re-emerging from its past, Jaffna is getting ready.