Remodeled marine national park in Hikkaduwa

Remodeled marine national park in Hikkaduwa[ Friday, 01 July 2011, 01:44.51 PM GMT +05:30 ]In a bid to boost the tourism industry and attract local and foreign tourists to the white sandy beaches of the South, Sri Lanka has opened 101 hectares of coastal land as a marine national park.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, and Minister of Agrarian services and Wildlife S.M. Chandrasena have declared open the remodeled Hikkaduwa National Park as a marine park for the tourists.

The park offers visitors a snorkeling and diving zone and also a bathing zone and caters to the diverse needs of both local and foreign adventure seekers, the officials say.

The government says the park, remodeled to provide tourists a chance to have a well-organized and safe recreational experience at affordable prices, offers a diverse collection of sea creatures as well as beautiful fringing reefs of various corals.

The e entrance fee to the park for a local tourist will be five rupees, and for a foreigner thirty rupees.

The Wildlife Department has signed a MOU with boat operators in the area to provide a boat service with more reliable and consistent prices. Accordingly, the price of a boat tour for a local tourist would be Rs.750 and Rs.1750 for a foreign tourist.

The authorities also have initiated a coral regeneration plan to prevent the erosion of the coral reef and a garbage management program to protect the environment.

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