British High Commissioner Welcomes Massive Development in North East Sri Lanka after the End of the 30 Year Conflict

03rd April 2013, www.dailynews.lk, By Chaminda Perera

UK High Commissioner in Sri Lanka John Rankin yesterday welcomed the massive development activities taking place in the North and the East after the end of the 30 year conflict.

He was of the view that this infrastructure development drive will help create more employment avenues and uplift the living standards of the people in the region.

The UK High Commissioner was speaking at a panel discussion at the launch of UNDP Human Development at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies.

The report was presented to External Affairs Minister Prof G.L. Peiris by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy.

“I travel to the North and the East quite often as part of my job and I welcome the infrastructure development taking place in the North and the East of the country”, Rankin said.

He said that the UK also encourages the Government to take further steps in the area of reconciliation as recommended by the LLRC. He said that the UK has genuinely helped the development, reconstruction and the de-mining efforts of the country. The High Commissioner said one of the reasons why UK companies are investing in Sri Lanka is due to human capital particularly in IT sector.

UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy said Sri Lanka has made a tremendous progress in terms of infrastructure development in the North and East.

Executive Director of the Centre for Poverty Analysis Priyanthi Fernando and Deputy Secretary to the Treasury Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda were also among the panelists while former Director, Economic Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy was the moderator.

Related Info :

• Sri Lanka Leads the Human Development Index (HDI) in South Asia

France's AFD Funds Largest Infrastructure Project in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province & Trincomalee

16th March 2012, www.ft.lk

Cabinet has approved a Rs.11.2 billion infrastructure project funded by France for the former war-torn Eastern Province, a Minister said yesterday.

Acting Cabinet Spokesman Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana told the media that the project would fund much-needed infrastructure for the town of Trincomalee in the Eastern Province. The money would also be used to upgrade 100km of highway, build 41km of provincial roads and repair five main bridges.

The Batticaloa-Tirikkondiadimadu-Trincomalee Road (A15) composed of 99 km and the Allai-Kantale Road (B10) spanning 41 km will be the National Highways while Provincial Roads will be the stretch from Mavadichchenai to Kaddaiparichchan (12km). The major bridges are Ralkuli, Upparu, Gangei, Kayenkerni and Verugal, the Cabinet statement noted.

This is the first large-scale infrastructure project funded by Agence Francaise de Developpment of France and was presented to the Cabinet by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The project is expected to boost tourism in the area as well, which will benefit the economy as the Government expects German tourist arrivals to increase by 15%-20% after the success of the German tourism fair in Berlin.

“We will prove that no other country has invested so much money in such a short space of time in a former conflict zone. We are giving projects in the north and east precedence over those in the south,” he said, referring to the US-backed resolution presented at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Abeywardana insisted that the Government was confident of defeating the motion and proving to the world that Sri Lanka had achieved peace.

Anilana Hotels Launches 8 Hotels in East Coast of Sri Lanka with $ 122mn Investment. First Ever Five Star Resort at Nilaveli in April 2012

14th January 2012, www.island.lk

Anilana Hotels and Properties Ltd, a group controlled by entrepreneur and frontline Asset Manager Asanga Seneviratne and his family, will shortly launch eight hotel and property development projects with investments totaling to US$ 122 million.

The group successfully raised capital through a private placement of US $ 70 million early last year, will apply for a listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange end January, Seneviratne said.

The former boutique hotel chain moved out of the "small hotel " category in 2010 and invested heavily in property, mainly in the East coast and now will open the first ever five star resort on the world famous Nilaveli stretch in Trincomalee and another project in Passikudah, both in April, he said yesterday.

"The stunning 70 - suite five star resort at Nilaveli boasts of state of the art technology and design and has two 30-metre swimming pools , an open kitchen, two restaurants , roof top dinning and Spa’s designed by a world renowned specialist. The 60 room five star Resort in Passikudah is similar in style and the chalets are a few metres away from the ocean,’’ he said

Two other properties are under construction in Dambulla and Panichankerni and are set to open early 2013. The developments under design are Blue Lagoon in Trincomalee , Vakarai,  Kalkudah and Colombo, he said.

The Chairman of the Group is Peter Amerasinghe who heads the Aristons Group of Companies and its Board comprises leading hotelier and promotor Prassana Jayawardene and former Bank of Ceylon Chairman Gamini Wikramanayake.

The group COO in charge of the hotels operations  is British National Trevor Burton  who counts over 23 years of experience with the Grand Hyatt Group of Hotels and has launched many Hyatt properties around the world.

The construction operations is headed by Gihan Zoysa  who successfully built over 800 houses in the east coast after the tsunami.

SL Navy Shifts Whale Watching Expeditions to Eastern Seas from Southern as Migration Starts with the Monsoon

06th June 2011, www.news360., By Prasanna C Rodrigo

Starting from this month Sri Lanka Navy will shift its Whale watching expeditions from Southern seas to the once troubled Eastern seas of the country.

SLN says the shifting comes as the Whales who appeared in the Southern seas during the November to February period have now started to appear in the Eastern Sea.

Commodore N. Artigala of Sri Lanka Navy said, Whales start migrating from one area to another when the Monsoon season begins, which is now experienced in the South of the country.

According to Artigala the Whales can be now seen in the Mullative seas and also in the seas closer to the Trincomalee Harbour.

He said “If you’re lucky you can see them in the vicinity of the port”.

However, the Commodore added, unlike in the Southern seas where sometimes groups numbering to 20 to 25 Whales can be seen, in the Eastern seas only few Whales can be seen at a time.

“Alfa 543” a ship which transported soldiers from Trincomalee to Jaffna and vice versa during the war time will conduct the “Whale Watching Expeditions” in the Eastern Sea.

The first expedition of the “Alfa 543” which will operate from the Trincomalee port is scheduled for today.

Related Info :

• Sri Lanka is the Best Place in the World for Seeing and Photographing Blue Whales. Migratory Whales Passing Southern Seas of Sri Lanka Confirmed

Eastern Sri Lanka Tourism Takes Off with 1,000 Star Class Rooms in Pasikuda

19th June 2011, www.sundayobserver.lk, By Shirajiv Sirimane

The picturesque Pasikuda beach, considered to be one of the top beaches in the world, was first declared a tourist zone in 1971. Unfortunately, the zone was confined to a name board. A few private entrepreneurs also laid foundation stones for several projects, but those plans were also shelved.

While tourism took off in other areas including in Trincomalee with star class hotels being built, Pasikuda did not receive the momentum for take off. It was only 40 years later that this prime destination came under the focus of Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa under whose purview comes tourism.

After a careful study, it was decided that the name boards in Pasikuda, planted 41 years ago, should no longer be made to rust and a master plan was formulated to turn the coastal belt around to an upmarket tourist destination. However, the interests of local tourists too were not forgotten.

The first step in this direction was to lease 140 acres of state land to 13 private sector entrepreneurs. An Indian and Maldivian company too have obtained land to build hotels in this beach frontage stretching over 140 acres.

Guidelines

Special guidelines were also issued with each hotel having to build over 40 rooms and have at least three star plus classification. Strict environmental regulations had to be met and a 45-metre buffer zone from the sea too had to be maintained. No skyscrapers are allowed and no more than 10 rooms can be built in one acre.

An Indian company had come forward to take care of the garbage problem. It has installed a plant and will charge one US dollar from each occupied room as a fee.

One of the first hotels to be built in this tourism zone is Maalu Maalu by veteran hotelier, Chandra Wickramasinghe of Culture Club and La Kandyan hotels fame.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa said he went to Pasikuda, to lay the foundation stone for the Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa on June 22, 2010. “On May 30, 2011, I was in Pasikuda again to open the Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa. This is a huge achievement within such a short period of time,” he said.

While congratulating Chandra Wickramasinghe, Chairman of the Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa and his staff for their excellent achievement in this challenging era he said this hotel is a part of the massive development projects currently under way in the Eastern Province.

”This includes livelihood, infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and industrial development projects under the Reawakening of the East Program.”

Development

"After the end of 30 years of terrorism, we have now entered a period of massive development that is not only for this region, but covers all regions of the country."

"As evidenced by the opening of the Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa in the once war-torn Eastern Province, Sri Lankans will enjoy the full benefits of post-conflict economic growth very soon," the minister said.

Wickramasinghe said that Pasikuda was one of the first areas in the South Asian region to be named a tourism zone, but sadly it did not take off. “We must thank the Minister for taking this initiative,” he said.

He said one of the main reasons for him to invest Rs. 360 million in Pasikuda was the manner in which the zone was planned by the Government and also the infrastructure that were provided to them.

“The transparent and professional manner in which the 30-year leased lands were distributed was praiseworthy. Thanks to the personal guidance of Minister Rajapaksa, today Pasikuda is the first planned tourist destination in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Wickramasinghe said he laid the foundation stone for the project in June 2010 and the hotel was commissioned last month, which makes it one of the quickest star class hotel projects to be built in Sri Lanka. The hotel now offers 40 luxury chalets, spa, infinity swimming pool, gym, Karaoke bar, disco, cable TV and many other amenities.

Wickramasinghe said that tourism is gearing for good times and the East coast would be a major tourist attraction. “I am confident of recovering my investment in five years,” he said.

He said unlike many global tourist destinations where there are off seasons, when it comes to Pasikuda there is no off season, which is a major plus point for investors. “This destination could help Sri Lanka attract new tourists from markets such as the Gulf and Australia.”

He also said unlike for many tourist projects launched in many new destinations all over the world, there were no objection from the public for this zone. “In fact, people in the area treat us like gods. During the construction period we did not even lose a nail,” Wickramasinghe said.

He said this is because people know that being an unmarketed destination the social pollution to the area would be low and since there is a limited population they can earn high income from the industry.

Reaping benefits

He said local contractors are already reaping benefits from the project as the hotels metalwork contract was handed over to a mini welder for Rs. 25 million. "This is the biggest contract he has handled and other hoteliers are already contracting him since he is very efficient."

Commenting on the infrastructure of the area, he said that it had taken over nine hours to get to Pasikuda. Now with carpeted roads and two new bridges being built, the driving time from Colombo is just around six hours. Train services have begun and a new sea plane landing port too is being built. New telecommunication towers, water lines and satisfactory connections too are being provided. "Even the bookings are flowing in and we have nothing to complain about," he said.

He said they are also happy with the staff from the area "who are very dedicated and most importantly, are quick to get in to the mindset of the leisure industry".

Deputy Director Planning, Tourism Development Authority Hemantha Wjekoon said the Government, on its part, while providing land for the investors, has also invested Rs. 800 million on infrastructure development in the area.

Twelve other investors have come forward to construct star class hotels with the total investment being Rs. 5,483 million. Over 90 percent of the rooms in the Maalu Maalu resort would be ready by the end of this year and many will open for December.

He said the Tourism Development Authority, in a bid to meet the local demand, has launched a program to register private residences with over six rooms as tourist hotels. He said about 296 such residences have already registered with them.

Commenting on the infrastructure for local tourists, Wijekoon said that a special area with beach frontage has ben dedicated to them. The Government has built modern toilets and changing rooms and would be providing locker rooms for day-users of the beach.

Modern facilities

A shopping complex, open air theatre, aquarium, dingy pier, art gallery, tsunami memorial tower and tsunami warning centre, Tourist Board office, car and bus park, medical centre, sewerage treatment plant, sports centre, life guard's post, cycle path, green belt and other facilities too would be built. Once again, most of this infrastructure is already falling in to place.

The fishing communities, which had been somewhat displaced by this development, have been provided a special area with a fish market being built for them. Companies such as Odel and Cargills have also requested for space in the proposed shopping complex.

"Our plan is to have 1,000 three star plus rooms in Pasikuda. The next region where we plan to have a similar tourism belt is Vakarei and Silawatura," he said

With the dawn of peace, local tourists are already flocking to Pasikuda, especially during weekends. An official from the Valachchenai Pradeshiya Sabha said that over 50 buse loads of people - from all over the country visit the beach. Due to this demand, a basic room in the area costs is around Rs. 1,500 and an air-conditioned room is priced at over Rs.3,000.

When high spending foreign tourists plan their holiday the name Pasikuda along with Gold Coast, Bali and Phuket, too would be in their agenda, further boosting the image of the country.

Images:
Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, Deputy Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana and Chairman SLTDA, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa at the opening of the Maalu Maalu Spa, the first resort to open in the area after the ending of the conflict.

The foundation stone being laid by Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Chairman Maalu Maalu Resort Chandra Wickramasinghe.

Related Info :

• Investors Snap up Lands on Sri Lanka's East Coast as it Opens up to Tourism

• Tourism Development in Northwest Sri Lanka Attracts Investments. Construction Work of a Hotel in Kuchchaveli Underway

• Masterplan for The New Passekudha Tourist Development Area

Land for Lease in North & East Sri Lanka for Rs20mn an Acre for Tourism Development

07th February 2011, www.island.lk, By Mario Andree

The government is planning to lease out land at Rs. 20 million an acre on a 99 year lease in the North and East for tourism development, and investors would be served on a first-come-first-served basis as long as they can afford it.
Sri Lanka will lease 500 acres of land in the North East coast to potential investors in order to develop tourism infrastructure, a tourism official said.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa told The Island Financial Review that the Cabinet had granted approval to sell land in the North and East under a 99 year lease agreement at Rs. 20 million an acre.

A stretch of land in Kuchchaveli, North West off Trincomalee has been identified for this purpose.

He said the land would be leased out on a first come first served basis after one-on-one interviews with the Treasury. "Who ever applies and can afford to pay for it, will be leased the land."

Denying recent reports in the press, Dr. Godahewa said the Kalpitiya island resorts project, which attracted 11 bidders, was going ahead. He said the bidders had been shortlisted to six and was handed over to the Cabinet-approved procurement committee for evaluation. "The results are still pending," he said.

However he said most likely Kalpitiya would also follow the same pattern of Kuchchaveli to develop tourism infrastructure.

Related Info :
• Sri Lanka Gets $500mn Tourism Proposals for Ten Kalpitiya Islets off North Western Coast

• 60 Investors to Build Hotels in Trinco in the Newly Proposed 8-kilometre Tourism Zone on the Kuchchaveli coast, Trinco, Sri Lanka

Deccan Aviation Heli Flights Find a Hot Destination in East Coast

03rd January 2011, www.island.lk

Against a backdrop of increasing economic activity in all parts of the country, domestic airlines such as Deccan Aviation reports a significant increase in domestic flights to the North and East.

The company revealed that the average sector flying time is on the rise with more flights being taken to the East coast; Trincomalee, Pasikuda and Arugam Bay top the list of hot destinations. With over 180 established helipads in the country, helicopter charters are becoming an essential travel option to both business and leisure travellers.

"In this day and age, business travellers look for something extra, cruising at 160 km per hour with a range of 480km, helicopters allow guests to make multiple visits and return back the same day avoiding the stress associated with travelling by road and the extra cost of accommodation" said Denham Schokman CEO of Deccan Aviation Lanka.

Deccan has been the sole internal air option for both Leisure and corporate clients over the past 6 years operating to all parts of the country.

"Our guests get to land directly at their site, this is a utility unmatched by any plane, all we need is a 15 x 15 m obstruction free space, it could be a private property a municipal council/school ground or even a beach front"

The typical client profile can range from an investor team visiting a potential project site, real estate brokers hunting for property, a production company capturing footage to develop a documentary on Sri Lanka to leisure travellers seeking to indulge in some of the best beaches in the world. Typically, once they land, corporate guests tend to spend few hours on ground before they return back to Colombo, Deccan Aviation provides a complete end-to-end service from ground transportation to arranging local guides.

The company recently introduced a helicopter schedule service connecting the International airport with major tourist destinations in the south coast.

" We see a lot of opportunity to extend our schedule to the east coast especially during the season, definite plans are underway to induct a 8 seat fixed wing aircraft which is scheduled to be in Sri Lanka early 2011 in time for the season’.

The new service is set to completely disrupt the pricing of air travel, enabling passengers to fly within Sri Lanka at a cost less than travelling by road.

Related Info:
High Demand for Heli Flights in Sri Lanka

Luxury Boutique Hotel in Nilaveli, East Coast of Sri Lanka

29th December 2010, www.dailymirror.lk

Esna Villas, a company fully owned by Esna Holdings, has invested in a beach property on Nilaveli beach, Trincomalee with a 144 feet beach frontage. This project, which is valued at USD 1 million, is the company's first foray into the leisure sector.

The company plans to set up an "all suite" boutique hotel on the property with construction already being in progress.

Eshana De Silva, Chairman, Esna Holdings, observed that this project includes a "Presidential Villa" which has a private swimming pool with all the luxury amenities of a Five-Star property. We are very excited as this would be the only project of this kind in Trincomalee.

Sri Lanka has seen a massive influx of tourists after the much anticipated post-war tourism boom. Esna Villas plans to set up similar boutique hotels in other prime tourist locations around the Island. There is little doubt that projects such as these are vital in post-war Sri Lanka.

Lanka Challenge 2010 Explores East Coast on Auto Rickshaws, the Most Awkward yet Enjoyable Drive Designed by Mankind

28th August to 8th September 2010, www.lankachallenge.com

After officially captivating the world in 2009 through the first edition of the Lanka Challenge, we must now continue our meaningful adventure and achieve the unthinkable. From the 28th August to the 8th September 2010, we will once again traverse the spicy island of Sri Lanka on our humble steeds and this time we will also explore the East Coast; wild, adventurous and less travelled territory - where you can expect even more remote, scenic and challenging roads. Our social projects, now involving the Tamil speaking areas, will reach a broader audience and our eco-friendly initiatives will continue to grow whilst touching many more lives.

The Lanka Challenge 2010 is endorsed and supported by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism & the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Through our event we intend to promote tourism, help the local communities and show the new face of Sri Lanka to the world. In 2009, we managed to get some excellent international exposure on Daily Telegraph, CNN, BBC, ART and Ten Sports which created positive publicity for the country and its people. Lets see what we can achieve this year!

The Ride

Standard issue Indian made, Sri Lankan modified Auto-Rickshaw. This three-wheel mean machine is by far the most awkward yet enjoyable drive ever designed by mankind. The humble steed can adapt to almost every single surface, climate, situation, idiotic driver and use (or abuse on certain occasions). It defies the law of gravity and doesn’t believe in simple logic.

An auto-rickshaw is generally characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame that rests on three wheels, a canvas roof with drop-down sides, a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver (called an auto-wallah in some areas), and seating space for three in the rear. They are generally fitted with an air-cooled scooter version of a two-stroke engine, with handlebar controls instead of a steering wheel. The triangular form of the auto also makes maneuvering easy, with the front single wheel negotiating the available gap, and the rear two wheels forcing a larger space.

Auto-rickshaws are light vehicles and only two or three people are required to fully lift one off the ground, which may be necessary when one breaks down and it probably will.

Auto-rickshaws have a top-speed of around 50 km/h (about 31 mph) and a cruising speed of around 35 km/h (22 mph).

The Challenge

The Lanka challenge is NOT a Race – it’s a CHALLENGE! The format of the Challenge has been put together in such a way that speed should not be your number one priority. The Lanka Challenge is a combination of timed legs and challenges. The winning team is determined by the total accumulated Challenge time minus the total time deductions resulting from challenges successfully completed.

My Leg Time – My Challenge Time Deductions = My Result (Total Time)

The team which completes each leg in the shortest possible time and successfully completes applicable challenges will win the leg and wear the notorious yellow sarong and jersey on the following days' leg.

The Lanka Challenge will be broken up into different driving legs (as per the route). Each team will be given a road map book and daily navigational sheet which they must use to navigate from the beginning to end of each leg. Warning – No GPS’s allowed!

Each day there will also be a number of challenges that will need to be completed by each team. The challenges will be made out of adventurous, cultural & ecological activities and will involve the local community. In some instances, teams will compete against each other and in others they will need to work together in order to achieve a common goal. In addition to this, teams will also need to successfully complete different picture and video challenges.

The Reward

The team that finishes the Lanka Challenge in the least amount of total time and that successfully completes the most amount of challenges, will be declared winners and have the most prestigious title in the world for one whole year: “The Lanka Challenge Champions”.

More Info:
Lanka Challenge

Sri Lanka's Eastern Coast to See a Boost in Tourism. 4000 Rooms in Trincomalee District

17th June 2010, www.news.lk

Tourism in Sri Lanka is in the upward trend and the tourist resort areas especially in the eastern coast is regaining its glory with the end of 30 year war.Several new projects in the tourism sector are due to be launched in the province with the nod of the Board of Investment.

Many local investors have expressed their willingness to be stake holders in the government's pet plan of increasing the accommodation facilities with 4000 rooms in the area in the Trincomalee District alone.

Then value of investment is in the region is 20 billion rupees. 3000 rooms will be constructed along Kuchchaveli scenic beach resort, while 1000 hotel rooms are planned to be built in Pasikudah.

Work on the Pasikudah project is already underway. It is due to be completed before the end of next year.

New Cashew Plantations in Eastern Sri Lanka

03rd May 2010, www.news.lk

Plans have been drawn to promote Cashew cultivation in hundreds of acres in the East.

The East is experiencing a resurgence following the elimination of terrorism. While the people are returning to their normal livelihoods with the strength extended by the Government, new cultivations are also being launched in the area.

Many fallow lands are being utilized for cashew cultivation. Another 600 acres selected under the cultivation drive of the Government are also coming under Cashew cultivation. This would improve the economy of the farmers in the East.

Four New Industrial Zones for North & East Sri Lanka

24th March 2010, www.news.lk

Four new industrial zones are to be established in the Northern and Eastern provinces within the next few months, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Industrial Development W.D. Jayasinghe said.

He said an industrial zone of 50 acres will be established in Trincomalee and 30 industries will be set up in that zone. A 25 acre land has been identified to establish an industrial zone at Batticaloa town. 15 new industries will be established in that zone. Another industrial zone is to be set up in the Mannar area. The land for this purpose has already been identified.

Guidance and information to begin new industries in the area are being provided for the businessmen in Mannar.

A suitable land for the industrial zone that will be set up in Jaffna is now being identified. It will be established in addition to the Achchuweli industrial zone.

In addition, the Ministry of Industrial Development has implemented a programme to lend a helping hand for the small and medium scale entrepreneurs in the Northern Province. The additional Secretary said the funds for this purpose are being provided by the UN.