The Pigeon Island National Park in Trincomalee was declared open today by the Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Wildlife and Agrarian Services Minister S.M. Chandrasena. A new ticket outlet will be open on the Nilaweli beach for the Pigeon Island visitors. With the terrorist threat this wonderful tourist attraction was isolated nearly for 30 years .
The Pigeon Island located just one kilometer from the Nilaveli beach was declared as a sanctuary in 1970 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance got transformed into a National Park on June 24, 2003. The national park spreads approximately over 430 hectares. The island is named after its endemic inhabitant the blue rock pigeon.