Sri Lankan army enlarges hospitality focus with Laya brand

THE Sri Lanka Army recently debuted its new brand, Laya – which means ‘tranquility’ in Sanskrit – and announced three resorts bearing the name.

The 35-room Wadduwa Holiday Resort on the south coast has been rebranded Laya Beach and the 64-chalet Kukuleganga Holiday Resort in the south-east as Laya Leisure, while a new jungle-cum-beach resort at Yala, near southern Hambantota, will soon open as Laya Safari, according to Sri Lanka Army spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya.

Laya Safari is still under construction by the army’s Engineer Service Regiment, but will comprise 20 luxury cabanas when completed.

All three resorts will feature function halls, swimming pools, sports facilities and restaurants.

Wanigasooriya said while Laya Beach will be positioned as a three-star, the other two properties have yet to be classified. The resorts are manned by army officers and opened to local and foreign tourists.

The army has plans for two more hotels at Pasikuda and Nilaweli on the east coast, said Sri Lanka Army commander Jagath Jayasuriya, who presided over the launch event in Colombo on November 8.

Jayasuriya said the army felt obliged to align its resources in the leisure sector to contribute towards Sri Lanka’s tourism and post-conflict development.

Since Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict ended in May 2009, its armed forces have ventured into tourism through hotels (army), domestic air taxi services (air force), and dolphin and whale watching (navy). The army and air force also run commercial travel consultancy offices for outbound travel.

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