SL among Kuoni’s top five destinations

Sri Lanka has been named among the top five destinations in Kuoni's annual poll of where UK customers want to spend their holidays, the of ficial gover nment website quoting a report by Kuoni said.

Sri Lanka also retained the number one destination for weddings, the news report said.

Where holidaymakers want to go is just part of the leading tour operator Kuoni's annual Travel Trends Report. The 20-page report also tracks hot travel trends and the top destinations for weddings and honeymoons, for families, for solo travellers, for pampering spa holidays, for the most exciting adventures and authentic experi- ences, as well as the best destinations for those that care about the planet.

The report also highlights changes in holiday behaviour and includes trends in holiday booking behaviour, such as the importance of social media in driving holiday choices.

Sri Lanka retained the number one destination for weddings, Kuramathi Island Resort in the Maldives kept the top slot for family destinations, as did Thailand for solo holidays.

The winner of the top 10 adventure holi day i s t he 1 1 - day t our of c ul t urerich Sri Lanka on the Ceylon Tour, while those looking for the best Planet Friendly Holiday voted for Gover nors Main Camp in the wildlife safari heaven of Kenya.

The report's 2012 figures are based on holiday bookings made as at December 2011.

Kuoni has been undertaking the annual Travel Trends Report since 1980.

Re c e n t l y, Nat i o n a l Geo g r ap h i c a n d Condé Nast Traveller also named Sri Lanka among 'Best Trips for 2012'.

Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals hit a record high in December and for 2011 as the country attracted more visitors from across the world, largely high-spending European tourists.

Arrivals climbed every month on a year-on-year basis since a 25-year civil war ended in May 2009.

Tourist ar rivals in December hit a monthly record of 97,517, u p 1 5 . 2 p e r c e n t f r o m a ye a r e a rl i e r, s u r p a s s i n g t h e p r e v i - o us monthly peak o f 9 0 , 8 8 9 i n November.

Arrivals in 2011 jumped 30.8 per cent to 855,975 from a year earlier, higher than Sri Lanka's previous record of 654,476 in 2010.