(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka has been named among the top three must-visit destinations for summer ’24 by Forbes, alongside Greece and Mauritius.
Writing for Forbes, travel blogger Kathleen Peddicord describes Sri Lanka as another island country floating in the Indian Ocean, a land of verdant highlands and stunning beaches. Its appeal is a blend of surf and wellness cultures, similar to Bali before its boom in popularity and resulting over-tourism.
Centers of yoga, reiki, breathwork, and other well-being practices have sprung up around the island in recent years. Some of these centers, like Kalukanda House and Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, combine wellness concepts with luxury-level amenities and accommodations.
Kathleen Peddicord reveals Sri Lanka is a place for nature lovers, home to 22 national parks. Its mountains and thick, subtropical jungles support a wide variety of plant and animal species. Visitors catch glimpses of elephants, otters, sloth bears, and elusive leopards on safari.
The Pekoe Trail, a 186-mile path that was completed in 2023, takes trekkers through the Central Highlands, including local villages, tea plantations, and holy shrines. You can also explore Sri Lanka by train, travelling easily while taking in scenic views and enjoying a unique cultural experience.
Describing its beaches, Kathleen Peddicord says in the lowlands and along its coastlines, Sri Lanka serves up soft-sand beaches with frothy, surfable waves. There are beach towns with trendy hotels and cocktail bars, as well as quiet strips of untouched sand.
Mirissa Beach, known for its calm, crystal-clear waters and rock formations, shows up among Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best Beaches” for 2024.
Unlike some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations (particularly in Europe), Sri Lanka actually wants more visitors right now. Its tourism authority is investing in marketing campaigns to attract more people, while anti-tourism protests heat up in the Canary Islands, Venice, and Amsterdam, among other places.
Stating that Sri Lanka is still recovering from a bombing event, the pandemic, a severe economic crisis, and other recent incidents, Kathleen Peddicord says tourism is a major source of income for the country, and visiting the country can help put cash into the locals’ hands.
“With all that Sri Lanka has to offer, combined with its tourism authority’s marketing efforts and the proliferation of wellness and luxury hotels, I see Sri Lanka growing in popularity this summer and beyond.
“It made Travel + Leisure’s list of “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2024” and its south and central regions show up on Condé Nast Traveller’s “The 24 Best Places to Go in 2024,” she adds.
