The travellers who began the excursion in Jaffna on Friday, 18 September arrived at the Lantern Boutique Hotel in Matara on Thursday (24) before visiting the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) in Seenigama.
The event titled ‘PMTT 2015’ combines two remarkable aspects - an avid appreciation for Sri Lanka’s bountiful offerings and a selection of worthy charitable causes.
PMTT 2015, inspired by the success of a previous leg held in India in 2013, is organised by the PMTT Challenge Team in Singapore in partnership with the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka (recently named ‘Destination of the Year’ by Sunday Times UK) is a top tourist destination for travellers seeking adventure, variety and warm hospitality.
Most will have taken a quick ride by ‘tuk tuk’, a three-wheeled mode of transport beloved by inhabitants and visitors alike for its convenience and speed.
Thus 40 high profile executives took on the challenging and undoubtedly exciting task of seeing the island from the perspective of a tuk tuk driver.
20 three-wheelers were commissioned for the task of travelling across Sri Lanka starting from Jaffna, to Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kandy, Ratnapura and Matara, then onto the Foundation of Goodness in Seenigama and later Hikkaduwa and finally Colombo.
Along the way they partook in several voluntary activities-visiting orphanages and elders’ homes, opening a reverse osmosis plant, and meeting schoolchildren.
In Matara they stayed at five star boutique hotel Lantern, where the team’s arrival was marked with an elegant cocktail event to celebrate their initiative in Lantern’s signature hospitality.
Lantern, a private luxury villa in Kamburugamuwa that draws from the heritage of its lush, peaceful surroundings, is a supporting partner for the event.
The guests recovered from their strenuous travels with the best of amenities; a pristine beach stretch, excellent cuisine and attentive personalised service courtesy Lantern’s intuitive staff.
“We were more than pleased to host the PMTT participants,” said Pratheepan Karunagaran, Director of Lantern.
“Sri Lanka is such a beautiful country with so much more to offer than immediately meets the eye.
What better way to see its hidden charm than via tuk tuk? These are the qualities we want guests to experience at Lantern too.
This is a brilliant initiative by the Foundation of Goodness and the team in Singapore. We’re very happy to be a partner in facilitating such a great cause.”
Pradeep also noted that Sri Lanka needed to consider alternative approaches when it comes to meeting rivalry from an increasingly competitive tourism industry worldwide.
Initiatives such as the PMTT Charitable Tuk Tuk Run are “perfectly poised to attract adventurous travellers seeking unusual and fulfilling holidays,” he said.
The event at lantern was further supported by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, One Galle Face, Red Dot Tours, and Southern Construction & Engineering and Haya Gallery.
Captions (L-R):
1.) Lantern Boutique Hotel was host to the PMTT Tuk Tuk riders at the conclusion of their charity ride.
2.) Pratheepan Karunagaran-Director Lantern & Trustee of FOG, Rohan Iriyagolle-Trustee of FOG, Muttiah Muralitharan-Co-founder & Trustee of FOG, Angelo Mathews-Sri Lanka Cricket Captain, Sajad Mawzoon-Director Shangri La, Rajeev Garg-GM Shangri La, and Kushil Gunasekera-Founder & Chief Trustee of FOG present a donation to the Foundation of Goodness.
3.) Pratheepan Karunagaran-Director Lantern & Trustee of FOG, Angelo Mathews-Sri Lanka Cricket Captain, and Kushil Gunasekera-Founder & Chief Trustee of FOG
4.) Kushil Gunasekera-Founder & Chief Trustee of FOG, Muttiah Muralitharan-Co-founder & Trustee of FOG, and Pratheepan Karunagaran-Director Lantern & Trustee of FOG
5.) Sajad Mawzoon-Director Shangri La, Muttiah Muralitharan-Co-founder & Trustee of FOG, Omar Sulaiman-Director Pyramid Wilmar, and Kanchi Gunawardana-Marketing Co-ordinator for Subway Development which donated a ‘Lunch with Murali at Subway’ that was auctioned for USD 4,000.
6.) PMTT challenge participants and guests bid at a charity auction that raised USD 17,700 in addition to other sponsor donations.
7.) Muttiah Muralitharan with Giles Allcard who won the bidding for a signed cricket ball at USD 3,000 as auctioneer for the day, Micheal Phelps, looks on.
