By Dharman Wickremaratne
The Passekudah tourism region is 156 acres in extent. Of these, 56 acres are set apart to develop facilities for the public and for infrastructure building. The other 100 acres are for the construction of hotels. During the war the LTTE used this state land for their camps.
Every hotel is allowed to build only 10 rooms per acre and the height should be less than 18 metres. The coastal security zone is 45 metres in length. The old harbour area has been set apart for the construction of a new fishery harbour. The temporary harbour is located within the Coast Conservation Department’s High Protected area. Under the Passekudah Tourism Development Zone program all the needs of fishermen have been identified. They engage in one-day fishing returning home the following morning.
Cold storage and marketing facilities, vehicle parks, recreation rooms, security rooms and all other infrastructure development comes under this project. The cost of the new fishery harbour expected be completed at the end of the year is Rs. 25 million. The Fisheries Ministry has already completed Thotupola Aruna - a harbour for multi-day fishing craft at a cost of Rs.430 million. This harbour which is to be opened soon can accommodate 400 boats. The distance between this harbour and the Passekudah beach is three kilometers which can be covered by boat in 15 minutes.
The unique feature about Passekudah is that one can walk more than 50 meters into the water from the beach. Walking some distance in the water one comes across a row of rocks jutting out of the sea.
The bay is surrounded by these rocks and the beach. Towards the south of the beach coral reefs spread across a large area. The water is crystal clear like a mirror and ornamental fish and corals can be seen while traveling by boat even if it is a vessel without a glass bottom.
The Passekudah tourist paradise generates direct employment for 3,000 persons. The number of those who will indirectly benefit is 5000. The majority of these people are residing in and around Passekudah. An example is that 92 out of 107 employees of the newly-built Maalu Maalu tourist resort are local residents. Altogether 14 hotels with a total of 902 star class rooms are coming up in the area. The private sector is spending of Rs. 5,703 million for the construction of these hotels. Fishermen will get the opportunity to sell their catch directly to the hotels once the infrastructures like roads, electricity improve.
The Passekudah tourist paradise has also led to a great demand for factories and marketing centres in the area.
The management of the Maalu Maalu Resort and SPA has constructed a new building at a cost of Rs. 6 million for teaching computer skills and English language to children. It has been provided with 25 computers and two instructors have been employed to teach 200 students.
Addressing those present at the opening of the Maalu Maalu Resort, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that another high class tourist hotel complex would be built in the vicinity of Passekudah under the Sri Lanka Tourism Develoment zone. It would be constructed parallel to the development of infrastructure in the area so that the project would not adversely affect the living conditions of the fishermen and their families. The minister said that the Tourism Zone would also help long-time residents of Passekudah to raise their living conditions.
Fifty-six acres have been allocated for the public visiting Passekudah, Its new bathrooms and toilets, changing rooms and rest rooms are scheduled to be opened on June 27. Initial works on a marketing complex, food centre, Vehicle Park, banks and a recycling centre have already begun. Water and power supply has been provided.
Traveling in these areas is primarily eco-tourism which helps to raise the living standards of the natives and protect the natural environment and culture. It educates the traveler on ecological conservation Eco-tourism was popularized by Hector Ceballos-Lascurain of Mexico.
Maalu Maalu Resort Chairman Chandra Wickremasinghe said that his hotel which helps to promote eco-tourism had its rooms built according to fishing wadis (fishermen’s camps) to suit the environment. He was happy that Minister Basil Rajapaksa got the opportunity of laying the foundation for the resort on June 22, 2010 as well as ceremonially opening it on May 30, 2011. The cost of building this 40-room hotel located in a three-acre area was Rs. 250 million.
A foreigner has to pay 220 Euros (Rs. 35,000) Local tourists get concessionary rates. A veteran in the tourism field, Chairman Chandra Wickremasinghe is confident that Passekudah can be developed in the same way as Bali in Indonesia. In the past it took eight hours to reach Batticaloa from Colombo. But today the same distance can be covered in five hours due to modern road construction.
We met Russian travel agent Helena Omaranko at Maalu Maalu Resort. The commercial manager of a leading travel agency in Moscow, she is planning to bring 5,000 Russian tourists to Sri Lanka within the next 12 months.
Source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=30348
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