MARCO Polo would have turned in his grave at the thought of one of his favourite destinations being racked by civil war for the best part of two decades. The venerable Venetian traveller, a pioneer of global tourism, considered Sri Lanka the finest island of its size in the world.

And few of those who have followed his route to that tropical teardrop off the most southerly tip of the Indian sub-continent would contest his claim.

Tragically, visitor numbers have declined in recent years, many deterred by the conflict between government forces and extremist factions of the minority Tamil population, others by the events of September 11.

But now, thanks to a ceasefire brokered by Norway and encouraged by a worldwide recovery of confidence in air travel, Sri Lanka is fighting back. There is greater determination than ever to see the peacekeepers triumph over the terrorists and a firm belief that the land once known as Ceylon can become Asia's foremost tourist destination.

Why? Because Sri Lanka has everything going for it. Stunning scenery, wonderful wildlife, an abundance of world heritage sites and some of the most picturesque beaches in the world ... in a country no bigger than Ireland.

That is where Sri Lanka scores. Its diversity-to-size ratio is its strength: breathtaking coastlines, lapped by the warm seas of the Indian Ocean, jungles that are a nature-lover's paradise and vast tea plantations that provide fascinating reminders of Ceylon's colonial past ... all within a few hours' drive from the bustling commercial capital, Colombo.

Fancy a break from the often sweltering heat at tropical beach level, where temperatures average well into the 80s (25-28c) practically all year round? Just nip up to the hill country around Kandy - the old capital - where the well-heeled Sri Lankans go to cool off in the fresher 50s (10c).

Although highly-publicised terrorist bombings have made modern day Sri Lanka as synonymous with the Tamil Tiger as the indigenous elephant and leopard that can still be seen in their natural habitat, 340,000 undaunted tourists visited the "Island of Serendipity" in 2001. They confine their excursions in the main to the so-called safe areas away from the trouble spots in the north and east but there are now significant efforts being made to open up the entire 25,000 square miles and the aim is to see tourist numbers top one million by 2005.

There are those - predominantly English and German tourists - who will see the resort hotels and the glorious golden sands of this tropical island as the big attraction. But to spend two weeks lying by the pool or basking on the ocean's edge would be to deny oneself the experience of a lifetime.

A few miles up the south-west coast from the 5-star Triton Hotel, for instance, is the Kosgoda turtle hatchery where every night volunteers rescue newly-laid eggs then rear the vulnerable hatchlings for three days before releasing them into the ocean. The programme has released two million since 1978 and claims to offer the five endangered species - loggerhead, leatherback, Olive Ridley, green and tortoiseshell - a 15 to 20 per cent chance of survival instead of almost certain death at the mercy of predators.

Hold a day-old turtle that has been given a fighting chance of living to the ripe age of 250 and I defy anyone to resist paying a few rupees for the tee-shirt with the heart-rending slogan "Save Me" from the adjacent charity shop. To experience Sri Lanka is to heighten one's awareness. I will never again look at the elephant on the Bolton town crest without thinking of the 60-strong herd at the government-run Elephant Orphanage at Pinnewala, 12 miles west of Kandy. Orphaned or abandoned young are given refuge and care before suitable candidates are introduced to the ranks of the country's working elephant population, although you do wonder what the future holds for the three-footed adolescent - a victim, so we are told, of a land mine.

Best times to visit are between 10 am and midday and 2-4 pm when the keepers take the herd down to the river to bathe and play.

On the culinary front, the less adventurous may not feel too disposed to try the delicious curry and rice dishes that appear on practically every menu - breakfast included! Fear not. Western tastes are exceedingly well catered for, including the good old bacon and eggs, while the fine dining, local seafood and tropical fruits are to die for.

And for fans of that most English of beverages, a cup of "Rosie Lee" will undoubtedly taste all the more delicious for having seen the smiling Tamil women plucking the tender tips - deftly taking two leaves and a bud with every grab - and witnessing the production process in the factories that have remained largely unchanged since James Taylor, a Scottish plantation manager, pioneered commercial tea cultivation in the central highlands in 1867.

Sri Lanka is the world's biggest tea exporter but it is the quality rather than the quantity that makes Ceylon Tea - the product retains the nation's former name - an internationally acknowledged brand.

Savouring the delights of high-grown orange pekoe at the fascinating Tea Factory, which ended production in 1973 and has been transformed into a fine hotel retaining many of the features of the old processing plant, brought a whole new meaning to "the cup that cheers".

Package tours are available from major travel companies but Sri Lanka also welcomes independent tourists and its people are both friendly and hospitable (the traditional greeting "Ayubowan" - May you live long - is delivered with considerably more sincerity than any of that "Have a nice day" nonsense).

But most prefer to avail themselves of the expertise of local guides who accompany the many organised tours on offer.

Ours, Gamini by name, appeared to know every plant, tree, exotic bird, butterfly or fruit bat personally whether we were in the ordered splendour of the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya or the jungle at Kitilgula, where David Lean shot the Oscar-winning movie "Bridge on the River Kwai".

At the spectacularly-appointed Mount Lavinia Hotel you are reminded that this was the location Lean chose as the setting for the hospital scenes where William Holden recuperated before being sent back to reduce Alec Guinness' bridge to matchsticks. But there is more to this hotel than its link with the Kwai movie. Recently acclaimed by Newsweek as "One of the world's best gathering places", it started life as the governor's weekend abode, a love-nest where he conducted a seven-year liaison with a bare-breasted, dusky dancing girl who visited him in secret along an underground tunnel that ran between her garden and his wine-cellar.

It is not surprising to learn that when their secret was out, the governor was swiftly and unceremoniously whisked back to Blighty!

You can picture the old imperials frowning on such goings on in the colonial days of Colombo's splendid Galle Face Hotel, one of the oldest grand hotels in Asia, which for 138 years has been a resting place for kings and queens and an inspiration to artists such as Noel Coward, Duke Ellington and Arthur C Clarke.

A far cry from the eco-friendly Kandalama Hotel - almost a kilometre-long and constructed on the border of a vast primeval forest with such care for the environment that, should it ever be demolished, the architect claims there would not be a trace of it ever having existed.

The Ayurvedic head and body massage, steam session and herbal bath - one of the Kandalama's specialities - was certainly welcome after climbing the 665 feet to the top of Sigiriya. This must-see feature is the Sri Lankan equivalent of Australia's Ayers Rock but with the added fascination of having been the site of a three-acre clifftop fortress that prospered in the fifth century.

Seeing the remains of the old King's palace and the spectacular views makes the lung-busting climb well worth the effort - therapy for the soul as much as the body. But then there is a strong spiritual element to a visit to Sri Lanka, if you are that way inclined.

Buddhism is the dominant religion - practised by 70 per cent of the population of 18.5 million and with the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy its famous and most sacred landmark.

But in this largely tolerant society it is not unusual to see Buddhist temples, Hindu kovils, mosques, Christian churches - even a Salvation Army citadel - all within chanting distance of each other and their congregations living side by side and going about their business in peace and harmony.

The good people of Sri Lanka deserve to win their fight to see tourism replace terrorism on the world's news pages.

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