Community-based tourism in Mullaitivu district

By Naalir Jamaldeen

The Government will implement a community-based tourism development project in the Mullaitivu district. The livelihood improvement of farmers and fishermen will be the focus of this project, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) sources said.

Temporary huts in the Yala National Park

Aerial view of Bentota tourist resorts

Interior of a tourist hotel in Sri Lanka

The areas between the Nandikadal lagoon and the Nayaru lagoon have been identified to implement the proposed program, SLTDA sources said.

Vadduvakal, Selvapuram, Karachikudiyiruppu, Unnapulavu, Kovilkudiyiruppu, Manalkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu town, Kallapadu, Chilawatthai, Uppumaveli, Alampil and Chemmanalai villages will be absorbed into the community based tourism development program.

A spokesperson for the SLTDA said people in this area need not panic. Only state-owned land will be utilised in the tourism development process in Mullaitivu. At the initial stage no huge buildings will be constructed. A soft approach will be followed which means development activities will not affect the normal lives of the local community, but they will be stakeholders of the program. The ultimate benefit will go to them.

The spokesperson said that the SLTDA held discussions with the Mullaitivu Government Agent N. Vethanayahan, who also recommended a community-based tourism promotion program in the district. The programs would assure livelihood improvement of the people in the region

Sri Lanka will be made a main tourism destination in the region by 2016 and will be a major contributer to the economy. This sector is expected to provide a large a number of direct and indirect jobs.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has identified several locations are suitable to implementation tourism resort projects across the country. The islands in the Kalpitiya, Nilaveli and the Kuchchaveli in Trincomalee district are among them. Since conducive environment prevails in 14 islands in Kalpitiya tourism resort projects could be built. It will be one of the biggest tourism resort projects in the country. Four of them have already been given to investors. They are expected to commence construction after the completion of legal procedure, Director of Tourism Planning and Development of SLTDA, P.U. Ratnayake told the Sunday Observer.

Kalpitiya is situated 150 km north of Colombo, the Kalpitiya region is one of the most beautiful coastal areas in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Kalpitiya is a peninsular that separates the Puttalam Lagoon from the Indian Ocean and is a marine sanctuary with a diversity of habitats ranging from bar reefs, flat coastal plains, salt pans, mangroves swamps, salt marshes and vast sand dune beaches.

CHOGOM will be a turning point and will be a boon to improve the economy and the tourism industry as well.

Ratnayake expressed confidence that the business forum will help to attract more foreign investors towards the tourism sector and to invest in the Kalpitiya islands and other identified locations.

Already some tourist hotels were functioning in Nilaveli. The Kuchchaveli resort project were yet to commence, Ratnayake said. The SLTDA has leased lands in Nilaveli to private sector investors and they are expected to start infrastructure development soon, he said. Kuchchaveli is the next location were a tourism resort project will be implement. The SLTDA has acquired 510 acres in the area. Already 50 acres are leased to a private sector investor. Proposal have been received for another 54 acres, Ratnayake said.

He said that the Water Supply and Drainage Board is engaged in providing pipeborne water to the site. Electricity is available and the Road network has been developed. Infrastructure and other facilities should be developed by the investor. Investors will be guided by the SLTDA when development work is progressing.

Meanwhile, the SLTDA also plans to introduce new products in the sector, Ratnayake said. In a tourism resort at least seven to eight hotels should be built. In some instance developed land will be given to investors. Most the time infrastructure facilities should be developed by the investor. The SLTDA provided infrastructure facilities to Bentota resort including access roads, he said. Ratnayake said that the Pasikkudah resort project was initiated in 2007-2008 period. Four hotels are functional now and three hotels will be opened before the end of this year. Altogether there will be 13 hotels within the Pasikkudah resort site. The SLTDA has received proposals from new investors to construct hotels in Pasikkudah resort site.

The people who live in close to the tourism resort, have started constructing tourist hotels themselves or sell the land to investors, he said. The Yala Palatuna tourism resort development project is also one of the major tourism resort project which is to be implemented by the SLTDA. The proposed resort site is situated opposite the entrance of Yala National Park, he said

There are nearly 400 acres of land belonging to SLTDA. Seven to eight hotels will be constructed within the resort area. The project will be known as wildlife resort project. The investors have already been selected. Two of them are in the process of developing infrastructure while others drafting plans to to start infrastructure development works. The Yala tourism resort project consists of hotel projects and camp sites, the SLTDA is in the process of identifying the camp sites. Ratnayake expressed confidence that the locations to set up camps can be identified soon.

The SLTDA has planned to implement certain tourism promotion programs in the North and the East. Now the SLTDA is in the process of identifying suitable locations in the North, he said.

The SLTDA will provide no infrastructure facilities for investors. They should develop everything including infrastructure facilities. Road development activities will be carried out by the RDA and other development works within the resort site will be developed by the relevant investors.

The target tourist arrival by 2016 is 2.5 million by 2016. The specific strategies related to tourism sector in the five year master plan were discussed under the following five main areas such as creating an environment conducive for tourism, attracting the right type of tourists to the country. ensuring that departing tourists are happy. improving domestic tourism and contributing towards improving the global image of Sri Lanka.

Accommodation facilities will be increased with the construction of 22,500 hotel rooms to cater to the expected increase in tourist arrivals by 2016. It must also be ensured that the benefits from the tourism sector development should go to the people, SLTDA sources said.

Creating an environment conducive for tourism is a major component of the five year master plan. 2010 was a significant year for the tourism industry with tourism

arrivals reaching the highest recorded number in recent history, the sources pointed out.

The Development Policy Framework of the Government is committed to a sustainable Tourism sector development. Protection of the environment and distribution of economic benefits to the larger cross section of people are the key components of implementing major tourism development projects, a sources said.

Tourism in Sri Lanka started to blossom since mid 2009 witnessing a rapid surge in the arrival of tourists.

The Economic Development Ministry with the private sector initiated a program of doubling the hotel room capacity to 45,000 by 2016 over the current 22,745 to accommodate 2.5 million arrivals by that time under this Tourism Development Strategy.