 Hikkaduwa wins Asia’s best surf spot award!
by Nilma Dole
Sri Lanka clinched the
prestigious title of Most Preferred Surf Spot in Asia at the annual
Floating Asia Awards held at the Ceylon Continental hotel recently. In a
bid to promote sports tourism in Sri Lanka, the founders of the Floating
Asia annual publication forsee the potential of tapping into Sri Lanka’s
sports resources and exposing tourists to a whole host of possibilities.
Sri Lanka was picked from many countries in the South East Asia region
to receive top honours in the best surf destination but we still have
the power to make it big as a sports tourist destination because of the
wonderful natural resources we offer.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer magazine was Sameer Yoonus, the
chairman of Floating Asia, who said, “Now that the war is over and peace
has dawned in Sri Lanka, the government should relax its maritime rules
and regulations to attract private boats and yacht owners to enjoy the
bounties of our country.” He further added, “We hope that the Sri Lanka
Tourism Board and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau can work
collectively in order to make the maximum use of our resources in a
sustainable manner.”
 Hence, he is confident that it will make Sri Lanka not only famous by
the best surf waves but also a good dive destination and a haven for
cruise ships to dock and offer their clients the best of the water
world. “The government can seriously make profits by having boat races
and international water sporting tournaments that not only bring foreign
exchange and tourism revenue but a good name around the world for water
action,” he said.
The co-chairman of Floating Asia Ismail Hameed who is also the
Secretary General of the Liveaboard Association of Maldives, said, “We
are keen to forge partnerships and establish links with Sri Lanka to the
South East Asian region because of the numerous possibilities to work
together in the area of sports tourism. Where other countries benefit,
we also like Sri Lanka to reap benefits with their bountiful resources
keeping nature conservation in mind”.
The other Floating Asia awards were handed over to Maldives for the
Best Diving Point at Mantra Point and cruise boat Maldiviana for the
Best Liveaboard. Siam Dive and Sail won the Best Travel Agent in the
country of Thailand. The Floating Asia team even participated in the
ADEX (Asian Dive Expo) in Singapore where they represented Sri Lanka by
enlightening visitors about the wealth of water wildlife we have. In
addition to understanding water life, Sri Lanka is more equipped to
handle the sports tourism because of strict nature protection laws in
place.
 Also, by diving and discovering underwater life, Sri Lanka can
understand how better to conserve their resources and spread the message
around the world. With climate change and global warming already
happening, living on land might be a dream. As the ice caps melt in the
North and South Poles and the sea level rises, we should take heed that
after the warning in the form of the tsunami, Mother Nature’s
forthcoming disaster won’t be just as forgiving.
Hence, adapting to the water by swimming, diving and understanding
water life would help us greatly. So as an island nation, it’s high time
we wake up and swim against the high tide and open our floodgates to a
whole new world! |
