The long-awaited Dedduwa-Akurala up-market tourism project is now being implemented with the ongoing land acquisition program, and a Rs. 200 million compensation package, a highly placed government official told the Sunday Observer.
The government plans to work with the private sector to develop this tourism corridor which will be one of the top three high-end tourism destinations in Asia. “We plan to select a developer or a consortium of developers by early 2018,” the official said.
Tourism is one of the thrust areas identified by the government for economic development in the provinces. In this context, key tourism corridors including the Trincomalee/Pasikudah corridor, the Batticaloa/Arugam Bay corridor, the Moneragala/Ella corridor, the Chilaw/Kalpitiya zone and the Dedduwa Lake/Akurala beach will be developed to give a fillip to the industry.
Dedduwa located to the east of Bentota comprises water bodies, marshy land and abundant paddy fields and is already a popular tourist attraction with several tourism companies having developed their properties. The Dedduwa Lake project covering 1,800 hectares of wetland lies to the east of the present Bentota Holiday Resort. The development plan provides it to be linked by the re-opening of old waterways to Madhu Ganga, 20 kilometres to the south and also developing the area surrounding the Dedduwa Lake. The project will include the development of boutique hotels and water based tourism activities, while safeguarding the environment in the area. Through the Dedduwa/Akurala project, the government plans to create high-end jobs for the youth, in keeping with the requirements of the future and also to ensure economic development benefiting the communities along the river bank instead of looking at only the communities of the coastal belt. “We also want to encourage a healthy relationship between the local community and the tourism industry.
The locals can be trained to do various professional jobs. Since they are most familiar with the place, they are in a much better position to bridge tourists with the environment,” the official said, explaining the sustainable measures.
“Overall, this will be a unique tourism and economic development project. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has discussed this project on many occasions since the project’s outline was announced in the ‘Vision 2025’ report. We are keen to go along with the vision of the Prime Minister and make it a successful, sustainable and viable tourism project that this country can be proud of,” the official said.
The Akurala project will be in an area of 735 acres, including 250 acres of reclaimed land. This will consist of a golf course and boutique hotel in addition to other water based tourism projects.
The authorities are also looking at foreign investment opportunities to develop Dedduwa and Akurala. Recently, a high-powered delegation from Qatar visited the proposed high-end tourism zone in Dedduwa and Akurala on a business exploration tour.
The government’s plan is to get more visitors with high spending power. “With the fast developing economies in India and China, we expect, an increasing number of up-market tourists to visit the island over the next few years.” The tourist arrivals are estimated to increase by almost three-fold to 4.5 million by 2020. The tourism industry remains a major foreign currency earner in the economy contributing over USD 3.5 billion in earnings through over two million tourist arrivals.