Banking
There are several international banks in Sri Lanka such as Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, Citibank, Indian Overseas Bank, ICICI Bank, Mashreq Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Public Bank Berhad, Deutsche Bank etc. Many have ATMs installed in convenient locations and provide 24-hour cash withdrawal facilities. Many of these ATMs offer CIRRUS and MAESTRO cash withdrawal facilities. Most banks keep increasingly flexible hours for customer convenience. All banks are opened from 9.00 hours to 13.00 hours Monday to Friday. Some city banks close at 15.00 hours while some others provide night banking facilities as well. Banks are closed on Saturdays, Sundays, all public holidays and on special bank holidays (June 30th and December 31st). Banks located at the Bandaranaike International Airport are operated 24 hours.
Currency Exchange & Credit Cards
All leading foreign and local banks in Colombo are able to change cash and traveller’s cheques for you. Most hotels will also provide you with currency exchange facilities but at slightly lower rates. The rate of exchange for traveller’s cheques is usually better than the rates for cash. If you are bringing currency it is always best to have US Dollars or Pounds Sterling in order to avoid possible additional exchange rate charges. There are several banks located at the International Airport, which would also provide you with required exchange on arrival.
Major international credit cards such as American Express, Visa and Mastercard, are accepted by most hotels, restaurants, shops, car rental companies and tour operators. Diners Club cards have limited acceptance. No surcharge should be permitted for usage. Cash advances are possible against credit cards in certain banks.
Communications
Most hotels have International Direct Dial (IDD) facilities. For inbound calls, the international IDD country code for Sri Lanka is 94 and the area code for Colombo is 11. The outgoing international code is 00. There are roadside public payphones located in all parts of Colombo, the suburbs as well as several provincial towns. Most are card-operated pay phones. Phone cards are readily available in shops and boutiques. The minimum cost of a phone card is Rs100/-.
Mobile network operators in Sri Lanka are Celltel (www.celltel.net), Dialog GSM (www.dialog.lk), Hutchison (www.hutchison.lk) and Mobitel (www.mobitellanka.com). Mobile customers are advised to check with their network operators for their roaming status before travelling, as the roaming capability must be 'turned on' in your home country.
Arrangements will be made to provide delegates with convenient access to IDD, Internet, e-mail and facsimile services at their hotels as well as at the Conference Secretariat.
Electricity
230 volts AC, 50 Hz is the standard in Sri Lanka. Round three pin plugs as well as square three pin plugs are in use. Most hotels would be able to provide adaptors on request.
Food and Water
Sri Lankans like their food to be spicy. The staple meal is rice and curry, which is eaten at least once a day. The curries are rather hot and it is advisable to approach them with some caution. The modern day Sri Lankan cuisine reflects influences from a myriad of cultures such as Indian, Portugese, Dutch and even a touch of British flavour. Almost every dish is prepared using coconut milk. However, those with an aversion to spicy food will not encounter any problems since the country has a fine collection of Chinese, European, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Indian restaurants. Colombo also has Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, Dominos, Delifrance and Nandos outlets as well as quite a few Sri Lankan owned fast food restaurants. Most hotels have buffets available for breakfast, lunch and dinner in which a mix of oriental and continental cuisines is served.
It is advisable that only bottled water be consumed. Bottled water is readily available at hotels, restaurants, grocery stores and roadside shops. We advise you to refrain from consuming food from small roadside shops and food sellers.
Inoculations & Medical Services
Many travellers ensure that they are immunized for tetanus and hepatitis A & B and many also take a dose of anti-malaria pills prior to departure to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan authorities require inoculation against yellow fever for all travellers over the age of one year arriving from yellow fever infected areas in Africa or the Americas.
There are six large hospitals in Colombo, including three with emergency trauma services. With the exception of the national hospitals all others accept major credit cards.
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