The app unveiled by the President is the first of 15 cities that will be included in Microsoft Sri Lanka’s ‘Window to Sri Lanka’ App development exercise, in a bid to help position Sri Lanka as a tourist and investment destination of choice among locals as well as foreigners.The President launched the App on a state of the art touch screen eWis computer, at the event.
The App also provides useful information about the economic potential of Hambantota, encompassing the rapid infrastructure developments taking place in the area and includes key information relevant to foreign investors such as airline schedules, business information and important contact details.
Microsoft Sri Lanka has built the City Apps in close collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, in order to assist them in their mission to promote tourism in the country. The company has developed a series of city Apps under the name ‘Window to Sri Lanka’ which will provide tourists and locals travelling in Sri Lanka or planning their holiday here from anywhere in the world, a visual information guide and an interactive snapshot to the key cities to visit in Sri Lanka.
The series of City Apps featured under the ‘Window to Sri Lanka’ theme will provide a window to the country’simportant tourist spots by creating exclusive information oncities such as Colombo, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Galle, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Negombo, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Yapahuwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla. The App,which includes high-quality pictures, important details, and maps will serve as navigators to the cities.The App lets users view information such as ‘Places to visit’, ‘Where to stay, eat, or shop’, in addition to ‘Important facts about the City’ and ‘How to get there’. It will contain unique aspects of each city to give the visitor an immediate sense of where to go and what to do depending on their interests.
A significant feature of the City Apps, being unveiled is that the App once downloaded to any desk top PC, tablet or laptop, can be accessed and used with or without Internet, which is an added convenience, especially in remote areas where 3G or Wi-Ficoverage does not exist.
First among the cities ‘Window to Sri Lanka’ will initially cover are Hambantota, Colombo and Anuradhapura, and the rest of the cities will be included in the near future. The series of City Apps aim to attract both local and foreign tourists who are key stakeholders of the tourism and investment boom in Sri Lanka. The project, facilitated and assisted by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, aims to addressthe imminent need to make our travel destinationsavailable in Digital mode, which is a common feature for all the major cities of the world.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Country Manager for Microsoft in Sri Lanka said that Microsoft, as the largest software company in the world, is always willing to assist Sri Lanka in achieving development goals. He also extended his sincere gratitude to Hambanthota District MP Namal Rajapaksa for the support and inspiration he provided towards building the App successfully.
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