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| Sunday, 6 February 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Tourism will bounce back to Ocean View by Jayampathy Jayasinghe The tsunami that hit the Southern costal belt last month was perhaps a bit kinder to hoteliers in the Wadduwa area as the damage there was minimal. People from Wadduwa say that nobody sustained serious injuries or was drowned at Waskaduwa when the tsunami waves tore into the beach devouring it and its adjacent areas. There were accounts of men climbing lamp posts to escape the ravaging tsunami waves. They had to cling on to these posts for several hours till the water receded to escape death. However, Villa Ocean View's rear compound adjacent to the beach front was completely submerged. Several cabana-type chalets in the compound were damaged and tourists occupying them had to be evacuated to higher ground. However, things were not so rosy for the hoteliers beyond the Kalutara beach up to Yala Park. Villa Ocean View's new General Manager, Ranjith Balasuriya, is optimistic that tourism will bounce back despite the setback caused by the tsunami. He said, that only negligible damage had been caused to Villa Ocean View hotel. The hotel's air conditioning plant was devastated by the turbulent waters. "Everything has been restored and the hotel is now fully operational," Balasuriy said. He is now lobbying to lure tourists from the Far East, especially the rich Malaysian tourists, to Villa Ocean View. At present, Villa Ocean View has become a destination for several foreign aid and donor groups visiting the devastated Southern province. Several foreign missions working in the South have found it to be a convenient place of abode. According to Harold Gunatilleke, Villa Ocean View's Accountant, when the tsunami waters lashed in, local and foreign guests in the garden had rushed into the hotel for safety. But none was injured, he said. Ranjith Balasuriya joined the Villa Ocean View, Wadduwa, as the General Manager on January 1. |
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