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Peace in Sri Lanka will benefit Maldives tourism
The defeat of Tamil Tigers in May 2009 given the hope that Sri Lankan tourism can recover making the country a top destination in South Asia.
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Maldives has a flourising tourism industry |
The Pathfinder Foundation’s (PF) Executive Director Lakshman Siriwardena told Daily News Business that North-Western beaches offer a lucrative opportunity for developing tourism in Sri Lanka and this could successfully be done by having a joint package with the Maldives tourism. “Under this package, tourists could spend a few days in Sri Lanka to enjoy variety and move to the Maldives to enjoy seclusion.
Siriwardena said Sri Lanka does not use the sea resources for tourism but many countries have tapped sea resources by having Safari boats and cruise ships to take tourists into the sea and offer them a unique experience.
“Therefore it should be added to the range of tourism products as there is no threat from terrorists any more. Ferry services also can be used to transport tourists from Negombo to down south tourist destinations. This could avoid the cumbersome land route and congested Colombo city, if they are transported straight from Negombo to their destinations by sea ferries. The advantage of such sea ferries is that they can be used to offer even to local people who wish to travel to coastal towns between Kalpitiya and Galle,” he said.
Already the Maldives offers cruise boat experience to visitors from which Sri Lankan can business learn. When organised tourism was initially introduced to the Maldives Sri Lanka was the gateway to the Maldives islands.
January 2010 / Maldives.Us
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