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Sri Lanka recorded a 16.5% Yearon-Year growth in tourist arrivals for the period from January to November 2012 attracting 883,353 tourists, outstripping Maldives, a key tourist attraction in the South Asian region. Maldives only managed to attract 866,310 tourists during the JanuaryNovember period with a mere 2.4% growth, monthly bulletins released by relevant tourism authorities showed. With regard to Maldivian tourist arrivals, China accounted for almost a quarter of total cumulative arrivals, more than double the size of next largest market Germany. During the same period last year, Sri Lanka and Maldives recorded tourist arrivals of 758,458 and 845,732, respectively. In November 2012 alone, Sri Lanka attracted 109, 202 tourists with a YoY 20.1% increase, up from 90,889 arrivals in November 2011. All markets demonstrated positive growth both during the first eleven months up to November and November except Middle East (ME) where arrivals dropped by 4.8% and 22.4% respectively ...

Emirates, one of the fastest growing international airlines, has announced the addition of three frequencies to its present 11-weekly flights to Mauritius. The service to the paradise island will be double daily beginning December 2, 2012. The 12th weekly flight was introduced on October 31 and two further frequencies will be added on December 2. They will be serviced by a Boeing 777-300 in a three-class configuration. Emirates flight EK3705 will depart Dubai at 1000hrs arriving in Mauritius at 1645hrs. The return journey from Mauritius, EK3706 will depart at 1820hrs arriving in Dubai at 0110hrs, the following day. “The increase in frequencies will undoubtedly create more opportunities for the Mauritian tourism sector and local economy,” explained Emirates’ Senior Vice-President, West Asia Indian Ocean Ahmed Khoory. The island destination is very popular throughout our network and double daily flights will offer even more flexibility to travellers.” In January this year, Emirates...

Witness the marvels of one of the world’s oldest civilizations as Cathay Pacific Airways brings travellers an exciting ‘Getaway Surprise to China’. Ranked among the top travel destinations in the world, China is renowned for its scenic landscapes, delicious and diverse cuisine, and wonderful folk art and opera which form the basis of its rich cultural heritage. Cathay Pacific provides an opportunity for travellers to make the most of an adventurous excursion to this famed destination through ‘Getaway Surprise to China’. Travellers can purchase special Economy and Business Class tickets to Beijing and Shanghai until the December 31 and travel until April 30, 2013. “We seek to add value to our passengers’ travel options in the coming months, as well as through our world-class inflight services,” comments Cathay Pacific Airways, Colombo Sales and Marketing Manager Ruhan Abbas. “The frequency and schedules of our flights to Shanghai and Beijing also enable travellers to make the most...

World's 10 best spots to see the sun rise RELATED Slovakia's ode to Peeping Tom Suzhou: China's Venice of the East Spend summer vacation at your native place A Hyderabad you didn’t know about Exploding waterfalls in snowy Switzerland Here are top 10 destinations to catch the best spectacle... 1. Haleakala National Park,  Hawaii , USA Boarding a bus in the wee hours of the morning is a pain, particularly on vacation when the greatest indulgence is sleeping in. But the alarm-clock acknowledgement is worth it if the payoff is watching a sunrise from above the clouds, on the top of a volcano. Various van tours offer the trip through Haleakala National Park in  Maui , picking visitors up at 3 am and dropping them off to see the event from the summit. The view is worth the travel time! 2. Svalbard, Norway The sun rising here holds an almost magical appeal for visitors. Situated north of  the Arctic Circle , the northernmost inhabited...

Angkor what? RELATED Shimla: Green land of serenity Shimla town hall on conservation map If you look beyond the smiling Buddha faces of Bayon and the towers of Angkor Wat, you might stumble upon a sleepy district lost somewhere in the shadows of its more popular neighbour Siem Reap.  Battambang, surprisingly the second largest city in Cambodia, is where I finally found the bona fide flavour of the country and which doesn't adhere to rules laid down for its tourist-centric trail.  Initially, I wanted to take a boat to  Battambang from Siem Reap, despite knowing that the journey time would be doubled. The water levels of the  Tonle Sap  river were quite low, so that made sure I stuck to the three-hour road journey. To my surprise, this town that came across as a laid-back settlement, was actually the second-largest in  Cambodia  and has witnessed its fair share of tumultuous events in  Cambodia's  long, muti...

WHEN Sam Shank began  HotelTonight , a last-minute hotel booking app, two years ago, he thought its typical user would be a business traveler in need of a place to lay her head. Turns out the app also appeals to impulse travelers, with some booking rooms at 2 a.m. for that night (or rather morning). “They said, ‘Hey, instead of going home tonight, let’s do a hotel stay,’ ” Mr. Shank said. “That’s something we’ve set as a company goal: to make the world a more spontaneous place.” For revelers scrambling to make plans for New Year’s Eve, below are edited excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Shank on booking (very) last-minute travel.  Q.  A paradoxical question:  how do you prepare in order to be ready for a spontaneous staycation? A.  I keep an overnight bag at my desk with a change of clothes, toiletries and a phone charger, just in case. On my iPhone there are a couple of must-have apps. Of course, HotelTonight. Sales go live every d...

The salt flats of Bolivia. (Photo: Laumerle / Dreamstime.com) Rivers that run red. Blinding white landscapes. Cliffs that wave in swirls of orange. No, those aren't works of science fiction. They are wonders of nature that will leave you shaking your head and wondering just how that is possible.  MORE AT BUDGET TRAVEL »   20 Places Every American Should See  »   5 Unusually Dangerous--and 5 Especially Safe--Places to Drive  »   10 Most Beautiful Churches  The best part? You won't need a spaceship to get there. We've outlined exactly how you can get there—which in most cases is surprisingly easy. Salt Flats,  Bolivia The name says it all. This blindingly white landscape in central Bolivia really is salt. Also known as Salar de Uyuni, the area is said to have been created about 30,000 years ago when Lago Minchin dried up, leaving the salt behind.  Today, 10 billion tons remain spread across around 4,000 square miles, where it cracks...

A longtime hotel employee pulls back the curtain on the business of hospitality. By  Alice Gregor Illustration by Lilli Carré. The novel sensation that unites any trip—business or pleasure—is how quickly the hotel becomes home. You swipe your keycard, flop face down on the bed, root around the minibar for snacks you won’t eat, and assess the shampoo situation. Within moments you’ve memorized the contours of your suite as though it were a childhood bedroom, and you treat it as such—leaving laundry in piles and neglecting to turn the TV off. This is common sentiment.  Wayne Koestenbaum  refers to the hotel’s “sluttish core,” and Geoff Dyer,  in his fantastic essay on sex in hotel rooms , writes that in a hotel “you become a non-person and are granted an ethical equivalent of diplomatic immunity.” (Although maybe not if you’re Dominique Strauss-Kahn.) That ease is of course thanks to the teams of polyester-suited employees whose job is to main...