Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
- On location: Where clouds meet the land in Aseer Province - January 22, 2025
- On location: A tale of transformation at King Abdulaziz International - January 20, 2025
- On location: Discovering Saudi Arabia’s cultural wonders and aviation opportunities - January 19, 2025
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy – The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy), Simon and Garfunkel
At the top of a giant mahogany tree, towering into the South Asian sky, two newly hatched eagle chicks, guarded watchfully by their mother, wait in their nests for their father to return from hunting with some early morning sustenance.
In the distance a siege (flock) of white herons stand with impeccable, ornament-like stillness in a now disused rice field, undisturbed even by a quartet of giant water buffalo who have gatecrashed the party.
Every few moments, the birds break away from their statuesque postures to strike with nonchalant but deadly effectiveness at some insect or other fodder in the marshy ground at their feet.
I’m in Hokandara, just minutes away from Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka’s legislative capital, and a 40-minute drive from the bustling executive and judicial capital, Colombo.
No such bustle here. The only sound is that of myriad birds singing in glorious harmony, each offering a different sound to this melodic avian sympathy.
This blissful scene is home to Rakhita Jayawardena, President and Co-Owner of King Power Traveler, a man widely and rightly recognised as a pioneer of inflight retailing with an eye for opportunity every bit as eagle-eyed as his recently arrived garden guests.
I’m on a short break in Sri Lanka, fondly known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, in deference to its natural beauty. It has been good to spend quality time with Rakhita and his wife Yasmin while discovering more about this magical island nation.
It’s my first time back in Sri Lanka for a decade or so, a period in which it has experienced great turmoil economically and the devastating impact (including one of the world’s highest mortality rates) of COVID-19.
Under the corrosive burden of a US$3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, the cash-strapped country, now under the leadership of recently elected left-wing President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is trying to plot a path of progress after years of decay and dissent.
Tourism will play a vital key role in any recovery. Such is the beauty, charm and diversity of this island pearl along with the warmth of its people and the marvel of its cuisine and culture that Sri Lanka will always lure visitors from around the world. The cash they bring is vital to employment, infrastructure and social stability.
This week I visited Port City Colombo, a multi-service Special Economic Zone designed to drive tourism, while creating business, investment and lifestyle opportunities. A key component of the project is The Mall, a spanking new duty-free retail, specialist store and restaurant development being opened in phases from late 2024.
The Mall is already home to two duty-free retailers, sector giant China Duty Free Group (CDF), which opened last September, and Singapore-based One World Duty Free, which unveiled phase one of its store on 1 January. Flemingo – whose signs are already up – also hopes to enter the scene once licensing approvals are given.
Accompanied by Rakhita, I had the pleasure of catching up with China Duty Free (Lanka) Country Manager Dimantha Kinigma and his excellent team at the CDF store. Dimantha is justifiably proud of what CDF has created here – a superbly ranged (with more to come), merchandised and designed 2,000sq m store.
The impeccable liquor zone alone houses over 300 lines, including a superb (and surprisingly eclectic) array of single malt whiskies and Chinese spirits.
These are complemented by an extensive multi-category offer, including fashion and accessories, luxury watches and jewellery, beauty products, perfumes, fine foods and confectionery and destination merchandise.
Sri Lankans (within four days of arriving back in the country) and foreigners can shop at the store, enjoying a generous duty-free allowance (up to US$2,000 in value with specific category limits).
Additionally, one family member can join the traveller to enjoy the shopping benefits.
That model, I am pleased to relate, is impeccably controlled. Until Dimantha arrived to greet us, for example, Rakhita and I were not permitted to pass through the barriers into the shop as we were carrying neither passports nor air tickets.
Look out for my full report on Port City in coming weeks – a CDF Grand Opening is planned soon – but in the interim enjoy these images which capture both the ambition and the excellence of this top-class addition to Asia’s travel retail ranks.
Make no mistake about it, Port City is going to be a major attraction for Indian visitors as well as Chinese and Sri Lankan shoppers. And there are more developments coming – you will have to wait for my main report for details – that are going to make it an even more integral part of the tourism ecosystem.
My visit to Colombo also offered the opportunity to visit the King Power Traveler offices, where I received the warmest of welcomes from the team, including – yes – a catchy song composed for me through a combination of human talent, ChatGPT and music generation platform Suno.com.
Catchy? You gotta believe it. Any song that rhymes Moodie with groovy has to be, right? ✈
