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Sri Lankan tourism was given another boost on September 14 with the Cycle Trail, a four-hour journey from Kani Lanka Resort and Spa (formerly Hotel Sinbad) to Hotel Mermaid, Kalutara. The ultimate aim was to develop the country as a recognised adventure destination.

Some of the participants of the Cycle Trial

The pilot project is an initiative of the Sri Lanka Tourism Cluster, under the Competitiveness Initiative of USAID. The project to develop a national network of cycle trails is endorsed by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. The South West coast from Wadduwa to Koggala has been divided into eight sections for the Cycle Trail with each section representing two hours of normal cycling. Circular rides have also been added in areas with the highest concentration of tourists to enhance the activities of hotels and make the pilot trail easily accessible.

Employment and Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said this initiative will highlight Sri Lanka as an adventure destination and hotel operators in the South Coast will have additional excursions and activities to offer clients.

Chairman of the Tourism Cluster and Chairman Aitken Spence Prema Cooray said the country has an existing infrastructure of dirt tracks, a multiplicity of biodiversity and a wide range of geographic, historical and cultural features within a relatively compact area which makes it ideally suited to mountain biking. He further said: "Sri Lanka Tourism will benefit from tourists in this market segment because they are higher spenders with an estimated daily spending of US$ 65-100 and an average stay extending from 10 to 14 days".

According to a spokesman of the Tourism Cluster, the main aim of the project is to develop Sri Lanka into an internationally recognised mountain biking adventure destination which, in time, will become the mountain biking capital of Asia.

Four trails have been identified as having tremendous potential for a mountain bike trail network of international standard and appeal. They are the coastal route, ancient city region, Sabaragamuwa Province and the hill country. The selection of trails are based on the existing village trails, availability of accommodation, incorporating existing tourist attractions and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

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