We have had a quiet 2 months in May and June in terms of visitor arrivals. These are the traditional low months too. This gave us an opportunity to send our teams out on Hotel inspections, seeking new experiences to offer to our guests, training our guides and Chauffeur guides on emerging trends etc. We also used the time to inspect some of our outsourced suppliers as we do annually. Jetwing Hotels are also doing some improvements to Jetwing St. Andrew’s and Calamansi Cove by Jetwing.

The poya days of the 2 months commemorated very important events in Buddhism. Vesak, which is celebrated in the month of May commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. Poson, the Poya in the month of June, celebrates the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. It is a festival of great historical and religious significance celebrated island-wide by Buddhists. The main center of celebration is Mihintale, the ancient monastic complex where the royal missionary Bikku Mahinda, son of Emperor Asoka of India, preached the first sermon to the ruling King Devanampiyatissa. It is also celebrated in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital, where large crowds of pilgrims converge and observe religious rites. It is a very serene sight to see long lines of devotees dressed in white making these observances. These 2 festivals are of great piety and sanctity which focuses on compassion to all living creatures. They are also ones of much cooler and gaiety with streets, homes and public places decorates with beautiful paper lanterns, hand made and glittering with lights and pandals depicting the different occurrences in the life of the Buddha and of his previous births..

We hope you will enjoy the summer and stay well!