Over twofold increase in tourist arrivals in wildlife parks

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Over twofold increase in tourist arrivals in wildlife parksSeptember 19, 2010, 9:50 pm
By Chaminda Silva
Director General of Botanical Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Department Chandrawansa Pathiraja says that the percentage of foreign tourists visiting the country’s national parks has doubled this year.
Normally nine percent of foreigners who came to Sri Lanka made it a point to visit the wildlife parks, but it had increased to 20 percent since January, Pathiraja told The Island yesterday.
Pathiraja attributed the increase to the peaceful situation prevailing in the country after the conclusion of the war.
Pathiraja said that all parks were currently open for visitors without restrictions. The government had already commenced a special programme to upgrade the facilities in wildlife parks, he said.
Country’s only island wildlife park Pigeon Island in Trincomallee would be opened to tourists soon, Pathiraja said adding that some areas in the North including Nayaru, Kokilai and Chundikulam would be developed as wildlife parks.
Tourist Board sources said that Sri Lanka had maintained an average of 500,000 tourist arrivals annually during the conflict period in the last three decades and the government was expecting 765,000 tourists by 2011 and 2.5 million by 2016.
Pathiraja said that over 600,000 tourists were expected to visit the country by the end of this year and of them 120,000 would visit the wildlife parks.