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Monday Nov 18, 2024
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Reza Badurdeen clinched the much-coveted Presidential Award for Travel and Tourism Sri Lanka in 2007 for service excellence.
“Nowadays, travellers prefer and seek activities linked to nature to a much greater extent. Soft tourism, which has become increasingly appealing and attractive to the younger generations of tourists due to its educational value and experience, can be identified as one such environmentally and socially compatible from of tourism that involves being close to nature, respecting the host culture and not relying on technology and intensive infrastructure. With respect to this aspect, Passikudah is an ideal destination that has retained its natural splendour.”
Furthermore, this nature and adventure seeking market segment is one that is becoming increasingly prominent and important and should be paid serious attention to, catered to and accommodated for accordingly, he noted.
“Additionally, as these younger tourists and travellers are highly drawn towards dynamic tourism, the ability to engage in a variety of activities has helped boost tourism in Passikudah and the area around immensely.”
While Passikudah is made whole with a beautiful coral reef ideal for active individuals and groups to go diving and snorkelling, the natural splendour of the panoramic ocean is highly appealing to the families as well. Moreover, tourists have the opportunity to travel to Batticaloa, which is home to a historic Dutch Fort and a lagoon that reportedly has singing fish in it. Batticaloa also consists of some excellent diving spots for tourists who are keen divers, including the wreck of the HMS Hermes, a WW2 British naval ship.
Passikudah which translates to ‘green algae bay’ was once a world renowned beach. It is one of the longest stretches of shallow coastline in the world. Though due to the Sri Lankan Civil War and the 2004 Tsunami tourist numbers declined, since the end of the civil war in 2009 and the completion of tsunami rehabilitation projects popularity of Passikudah as a tourist hub has exponentially risen again.
Further favouring what Passikudah has to offer as a tourist hub, modern trends of tourism have also evolved much from those of the past.
Routes in Passikudah which include many narrow gravel routes, some tarred roads and beach routes are ideal for cycling; a recreational activity and experience considered as fun and adventurous by individuals, groups, families and extreme bikers alike. In addition, this also allows tourists to experience life as it is in the region, through the possibility of home stays.
Flood plain national park that is located in Polonnaruwa is ideal for 4X4 driving. In addition, as the national park consists of many river channels, riverine marshes, seasonally flooded grasslands, swamp forests and swampy lakes that have a high diversity of foliage and provides refuge for a wide variety of fauna, it is perfect for site seeing. This park is also a flourishing feeding ground for elephants and provides a corridor for them to migrate between grazing lands in Wasgomuwa and Somawathiya National parks.
Maduru Oya National Park, which is only one and a half hours from Passikudah, is another spectacular region that needs more attention, in order to enhance tourism in this region. This is an excellent area for tourist fishing activities. As the Maduru Oya National Park provides a sanctuary to wildlife, especially for elephants, the tourists can engage in fishing activities enjoying the view of elephants bathing right in front of them.
Further explaining about developing tourism in Passikudah, Badurdeen also averred, “In developing the infrastructure to uplift tourism in Passikudah, we must focus on establishing our own runway that would enable tourists to fly straight to Passikudah via air.”
“We must work towards making this blinking dot on the world map that is our mother Sri Lanka, more prominent and significant than it has ever been. I am completely optimistic that we have the full potential and ability to attain this dream with the immeasurable, astounding natural beauty of our country and the genuine simple smile of the people that is not taught, but is from the depths of their souls.”
Badurdeen’s fully-fledged travel company Riverats operates adventure tours in and around Passikudah, Maduru Oya National Park and other wildlife sanctuaries.
