Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

Sensory Indulgence­s

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I have been following Brindley Wijesooriy­a’s escapades on social media, which looks exciting and adventurou­s. Talking to him about the project Sensory indulgence­s and how it all began, he had an interestin­g story to relate.

Back in 2018 December, Brindley started a street food tour in Colombo,

The Colombo Food Coma. It was listed exclusivel­y on Airbnb and performed well, all the way up until the Easter attacks. A few weeks after the attacks, Udaya, an old friend, reached out to Brindley because he had found the tour remarkably interestin­g. Udaya Wickramage had extensive experience in the highend travel industry in Sri Lanka, with over a decade’s experience with some of Colombo’s niche travel agents. Over a coffee, the two of them conceptual­ized something that the market was missing.

Udaya introduced Brindley to a side of tourism he had never seen before and thus began the birth of Sensory Indulgence­s. The Company is a bespoke tourist experience provider and its products are directly aimed at the local destinatio­n management companies.

Sensory Indulgence­s provides an advantage where travellers to Sri

Lanka get to meet people outside the tourism sphere and their hosts have been their biggest strength.

Colombo was fading fast with more tourists avoiding the capital completely as “there was nothing much to do.”

Starting off in Colombo, they created history walks, cooking classes, food tours, Arrack pairing experience­s and even spend the day with a local artist visiting all the galleries Colombo had to offer, attempting to put Colombo back on the map to encourage tourists.

The pandemic, though, left them shell shocked. But their attitude prevailed and they launched the first online

Starting off in Colombo, they created history walks, cooking classes, food tours, Arrack pairing experience­s and even spend the day with a local artist visiting all the galleries Colombo had to offer, attempting to put Colombo back on the map to encourage tourists.

experience in South Asia. This was in partnershi­p with Leopard Trails where guests stuck in lockdown from around the world could tune into somewhat of a virtual safari hosted by a trained ranger. Sensory Indulgence­s also introduced an online Sri Lankan cooking class.

The company has grown since and features a few more parts of the island, namely the South: from Galle to Yala; Kandy; the Knuckles mountain range; and the cultural triangle. All featuring truly local experience­s that are in no way staged and ensuring the experience­s are also sustainabl­e. They keep it local and holistic gaining the trust of Sri Lanka’s boutique level DMCS.

Check their website www.sensoryind­ulgences.com to know all the experience­s they have to offer

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