About Colombo

Floating market, Colombo, Sri Lanka. PHOTO: Amila Tennakoon (CC BY 2.0)

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka.

Links:
Colombo on Wikipedia
Sri Lanka on Wikipedia
Colombo on Wikitravel
Sri Lanka on Wikitravel

Getting to Colombo
There is air service to and from Colombo provided by the national airline, Sri Lankan Airlines. Flights are available from origins throughout Europe, United States, Southeast Asia, Australia, China, Japan, the Middle East, India, and Pakistan. Other airlines include Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Emirates with transits typically in middle-eastern countries. British Airways have direct flights from Gatwick Airport to Colombo.

Sri Lanka's prime international airport, Bandaranaike International, is at Katunayake, close to Negombo, on the coast north of Colombo. The journey to Colombo will take about an hour by taxi with heavy traffic and just half an hour otherwise.

Hotels
Hotels within easy reach (by taxi) of the Summit venue at TRACE Expert City, include the following:
Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo
Cinnamon Red
Cinnamon Grand
Ramada Colombo

Visas
Nationals of the Maldives, Seychelles and Singapore may obtain a free visa on arrival. Maldivian and Singaporean nationals may enter for 30 days (extendable up to 150), whilst Seychellois nationals may enter for 60 days (but no more than 90 days per calendar year).

Visitors from Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana may apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) either by applying for at the nearest Sri Lanka Overseas Mission or through a Sri Lanka sponsor at the Head Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka.

Nationals of all other countries not specified above may obtain a visa online using the electronic travel authorization (ETA) procedure prior to arrival in Sri Lanka.