Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickramasinghe inaugurated Sri Lanka’s biggest hotel in Colombo on Thursday morning. Ratnadipa, which means ‘island of gems’, is ITC's first hotel outside India.
The Sri Lankan president called the venture a result of the vision statement for better ties he signed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Calling India ‘a rising giant’, he described the hotel as the first step being laid for greater economic cooperation between the two countries, starting with tourism.
“Tourism between India and Sri Lanka is historical,” the Sri Lanka President said, referring to the historical visits from Lanka to Bodh Gaya (Buddhist pilgrim site) and from India to Anuradhapura (believed to be Ravana’s palace where he took Sita). “It’s just a matter of continuing it.”
Ratnadipa is ITC’s first international venture, ahead of the hotel division’s hiving off as an independent company, expected next year. ITC’s legendary hotels include Delhi’s ITC Maurya and Chennai’s Grand Chola, which is South India’s biggest. ITC, originally a tobaaco major, today straddles sectors from food products (Aashirvaad, Sunfeast), paperboard, packaging and cosmetics.
ITC Ratnadipa features 352 rooms and suites, sky mansions, nine restaurants and bars, Sri Lanka’s first sky bridge and a helipad, and is situated facing the Indian Ocean on Galle Seaface. It is Sri Lanka’s biggest hotel, and join other Indian ventures in the island nation like Lanka Oberoi as well as Taj properties in Colombo and Bentota.
“Hope this will lead to other Indian hotels coming to Sri Lanka,” President Wickramasinghe said.
