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Exotic blend that's Qatar

The lucky winner
The entries have been pouring in and finally we have the lucky winner of the Times Travel Quiz 4,where readers were of- fered a free ticket plus two-nights stay in Doha and a half-day city tour courtesy of Qatar Airways.

Congratulations to:
Miss P. Kandasamy
17/2, St. Anthony's Mawatha,
Colombo 3.

Yours was the first correct entry from a whole heap of entries drawn by the District Sales Manager, Sri Lanka for Qatar Airways Mr. Sulaiman Almaskari. Also present was Qatar Airways Sales and Marketing Manager (Passenger) Mr. Shirantha Seneviratne. The draw was held at The Sunday Times office on July 11.

We thank the many readers who sent in coupons. Look out for more great surprises in the weeks to come.

Rich in culture with a unique history and heritage, the state of Qatar is regarded as the 'Gulf's best-kept secret'. With its moderate climate, hot, dry summers and mild winters, Qatar is a wonderful holiday destination with many attractions from ancient architecture, camel racing, dhow cruises and desert safaris to name a few .

'Discover Qatar', the Qatar Airways tour division offers high quality packages tailor-made for individual visitors. The Doha Easy Package offers many exciting and varied tours. Doha is fast becoming a popular stopover for visitors travelling to Europe who have many convenient connections to major cities in Europe.

One of the main attractions, which the lucky Times Travel Quiz winner will enjoy is the Doha city tour which begins with a visit to the national stables where visitors can marvel at the beauty of Arabian horses. Then it's on to a falconry shop to see the hooded birds of prey, before getting a close-up view of the ships of the desert at the local camel market.

Visitors can then have a taste of Doha as they see the Corniche, the seven km stretch of bay which fronts the city giving a wonderful view of its changing face, the Emir's Palace, the clock tower and the historic Al Kout Fort.

No trip to Doha is complete without seeing the famous souqs where visitors can wander through the narrow streets, bargaining for gold and spices.

Another popular tour which many visitors to Doha choose is the Dune Safari which is an exciting, fun-packed half-day off-road over the towering sand dunes of the southern desert of Qatar. After a 40 km drive, through the harbour towns of Wakrah and Umn Said, it's onto the desert as highly skilled drivers give you the thrill of a lifetime climbing and sliding down the dunes.

Other tours that visitors can choose from are the Traditional Trip which covers the Weaponry and National Museum, the lagoon to see the traditional dhow used over the centuries by merchants, pearl divers and fishermen, not to mention the Heritage Tours and the Dhow Cruises.

Qatar Airways in Sri Lanka is represented by Delmege Forsyth Tours (Pvt) Ltd., a member of the Delmege Group.

Promoting eco-tourism
By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
Eco-tourism is fast gaining ground in Sri Lanka. "Eco-tourism has become a buzz word and a marketing tool for superior products. This is referred to as `Green Washing' in eco-tourism literature," says Chandra de Silva, the President of the Eco Tourism Society of Sri Lanka and Founder Director and CEO of Ranweli Holiday Village, an eco-tourism facility.

Eco-tourists do not expect accommodation, food and night-life to meet the standard of comfort and luxury held by other groups of tourists. For eco-tourists, living in local conditions and partaking of local food and customs 'enrich" their vacation experience. They are well educated and discerning travellers looking for knowledge-based holidays and engage in activities such as bird watching, nature and cultural tours for which expert interpreters (guides) are engaged.

What are the aspects eco-tourism covers which are not found in conventional tourism? According to Mr. de Silva, eco-tourism should be developed with ecological and sociological sensitivity in order to achieve the principles on which it is based, which are responsible travel to natural and cultural areas which conserve the environment and sustain the well-being of the local people. It is truly a knowledge-based experience. Conventional tourism on the other hand caters to our established tourist industry, offering accommodation, food and night- life fit to rival that of developed countries.

The greatest advantage in eco-tourism is that it is centred around wildlife and nature and not intent on exploiting it. In a country where there are six World Heritage Sites and one Natural Heritage site, eco-tourism is an ideal method of generating a steady income.

Ranweli Holiday Village in Waikkal was among the 55 eco-tourism initiatives mentioned in 'Sustainable Development of Eco Tourism: A compilation of good practices" published by the World Tourism Organization to mark the World Eco-Tourism Summit held in May 2002.

Following this Mr. de Silva has been invited to speak at 'The Cultural Impact Conference', which is part of the Commonwealth Games Business Club. The conference will be held in Liverpool, UK on July 30 and 31.

Mr. de Silva will speak on "Culture and Environment - What is Eco-tourism" to 400 delegates from around the world. The conference will mainly be of interest to those countries and cities planning to host either major cultural or sporting events. Mr. de Silva who is an Accountant by profession stepped into the world of Eco-Tourism with the re-doing of Ranweli Holiday Village as an eco tourism facility. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the International Eco-Tourism Society in Vermont, USA.

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