COLOMBO FORT WILL BE A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION

Sri Lanka to develop Colombo Fort into tourist attraction

Renovates old Dutch Hospital to build shopping mall, plans to turn area from south gate of Colombo harbor to end D R Wijewardena MW into a pedestrian promenade

LBR,Friday 02 December 2011

Sri Lanka's tourism authorities together with the UDA have laid plans to develop the Fort area in the heart of the island's commercial capital Colombo into a tourist attraction, capitalizing on the colonial architectural.

 'The colonial buildings built during the colonial times give us an amazing opportunity ideal for tourists to walk around,' said Nalaka Godahewa, chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

In two to three year's time this area will be a buzzing city like some of the cities you see in Paris, Spain or UK.'

 The Colombo Fort, bordered by the Colombo harbor from the north and the Beira Lake to the south used to be a residential paradise for the colonial rulers where they built and extended their fortress over a century of conquest.

 Today the area is the financial and commercial hub in the island's business district of Colombo and houses international hotels, government buildings, department stores and headquarters of many banks and business ventures, many in the same historical buildings.

 Authorities now want to capitalize on the historical architecture to make the area a tourist attraction starting from the 17th century Dutch Hospital located opposite the modern office complex World Trade Center, where a shopping mall is planned.

 'It will be one of the main locations in the city where tourists will chill out,' Godahewa told a press conference in Colombo.

'We have identified some of the best brands for restaurants, souvenir shops and various activities which can make it a very lively place and that will be the renaissance of a beginning in that whole area.'

 'We have got the best operators to run the Dutch Hospital,' said Nihal Fernando, director general of Urban Development Authority.

 'We are from the UDA and we will not decide on how this place is going to be run. We will be keeping it for the industry to decide.'

 The building is being renovated for the third time at a cost of Rs 100 mn.

 He said two more buildings behind the Dutch hospital belonging to the British Colonial era are already being renovated to be used for tourism development while the broader plan for the city includes development of the area starting from the south gate of the Colombo harbor to the shores of the Beira Lake.

The famous 'Cargills' building, headquarter to a top retail and FMCG firm has undertaken a tourism related project, said Fernando while another is planned for five-star hotel Hilton Colombo.

 'From the Beira Lake to D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha, we have a project on which we are working with the World bank to create a pedestrian promenade,' Fernando said.

'From that point onwards going down to end of DR W Mawatha, facilities will be available for pedestrians.'

 'The entire stretch is going to be for tourism activities,' Fernando said.

 
Arrival target

 Sri Lanka achieved its tourist arrival target of 750,000 for 2011 ahead of schedule. The annual target has now been raised to 800,000 visitors by the year-end, up 22 percent from 2010.

 Godahewa expects a foreign income of USD 800 million by end this year while the target for 2012 is to lure 950,000 tourists. The industry is currently the fifth largest forex earner to the country.

 'Next year we are heading towards the third place and probably become number one in another five to 10 years.'

 Sri Lanka is witnessing a major upswing in its tourism industry after the end of a nearly three decade long conflict in May 2009. The island has been among the best destinations to visit in 2012 according to the US-based magazine, National Geographic Traveler.