Sri Lanka Tourism Brings Rooms in Homes Project to Suppliment Facilities for Tourism

21st May 2010, www.dailynews.lk, By Harshini Perera

Fifteen guest houses have been set up without any help in Jaffna soon after the end of terrorism up to now. This is a healthy sign for the development of tourism in Jaffna, a senior tourism official said.

Small and medium hoteliers have far more greater potential to increase tourist arrivals as the country is opened for tourism. Households are encouraged to provide accommodation to tourists in Jaffna and other tourist destinations.

Rooms in Homes project will provide opportunities for households to accommodate tourists and earn an income.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority having understood the need is now conducting the Rooms in Homes Project to assist interested people to bring more business opportunities to the country.

“Sri Lanka at present has only 14,600 hotel room facilities and this will give an attractive supplementary accommodation by encouraging households to provide accommodation for tourists.

The Government understood this as a timely need to support them in what they need,” Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Director General S. Kalaiselvam told Daily News Business. An advertisement about the project was displayed in November last year to which 300 houseowners have responded by now.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has already registered 82 house room providers.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority will market the product of Rooms in Homes by linking them with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority’s corporate website.

An accommodation guide will be given to tourists providing them information on accommodation in these houses.

“It is expected to conduct this project all over the island covering even North and East areas. However, a minimal participation was shown in Jaffna compared with the other districts for the project,”he said.