Focus on Delft as a tourist destination

by P. Krishnaswamy

The sparsely populated Northern offshore island Delft, Southwest of Jaffna in the Palk Strait, is now the focus of the Government for development as a major tourist destination, with reclamation and renovation work already begun, Northern Province Governor Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri told the Sunday Observer. The first phase of the master plan which was jointly formulated by Minister Douglas Devananda and himself is now under implementation, he said. Economic Development Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Northern Development Basil Rajapaksa took the initiative in the matter and requested for the formulation of the plan, he said.

The 50 square km island, named after the Netherlands city of Delft during their colonial rule, and having historical links to that country, with buildings modelled after their architecture will turn out to be a ‘tourist paradise’ once the work is completed, the Governor said. The island surrounded by white sand and having five major tanks, 42 ponds and a canal system constructed by the Dutch during the colonial period will be an ideal tourist destination for the European tourists, especially those from the Netherlands, he said. Since the island is to be developed as an eco-friendly tourism destination, the use of motor vehicles in it will be prohibited but only electrically operated mini-cars will be allowed, he said.

The feasibility study was conducted by an experienced architect who has a good knowledge of the island’s architecture, its geographical and geological aspects and also of the lifestyle of the inhabitants, some of whom are descents of the Dutch. He completed the work after a three month study, the Governor said. According to the study the island was very popular during the Dutch and Portuguese periods with a good number of people living in it and bustling with activities.

But after people moved away during the recent decades, it was neglected as a desolate and remote island. Its potential as an attractive tourist destination has now been explored, he said. Kalpitiya and Mannar are also being developed as tourist destinations and the Delft will be linked to these two destinations by boat. Tourists will not need to take a circuitous land route to get to the Delft but can reach it by boat in one or two hours maximum, the Governor said.

Leading business companies and organisations have already made requests for land to construct star-class tourist hotels.

These requests keep coming almost everyday and some of them have been given approval while the other requests are being processed for consideration, the Governor said. A home garden concept for the local inhabitants will be introduced, separate fishing villages will be established and the existing harbour will be modernised, he said.

Renovation/rehabilitation of the tanks, ponds and the road networks are nearing completion, the Governor said.

The ponds were used for the cattle and donkeys during the colonial period and some feral ponies abandoned by the Dutch are still found there. A five acre area will be developed as land for agriculture, especially vegetable cultivation for providing fresh vegetables to the tourists, by clearing the surface coralline soil and replacing it with fertile soil brought from outside.