Post war Jaffna now a postscript

Sri Lanka's tourism industry's goal of opening up the North is yet to attract increased arrivals as infrastructure like room capacity are hard to come by and not a single (beachside) resort is available.

The North wants more traffic and this can only be achieved if they have capacity to hold the arrivals and increased accessibility and more promotions of Jaffna alongside the rest of the country, Founder President of the Northern Province Tourism Association T.Y. Sundearasan told the Business Times in Colombo.

With only three star properties in the Jaffna peninsula and with about 500 rooms the place needs adequate infrastructure to market and promote it, he said.

Domestic investors are invited to come to Jaffna for new investments in a bid to ensure that they can thrive and are also keen on Destination Management Companies (DMCs) scheduling Jaffna in their itineraries, Mr. Sundearasan said.

He noted that the NPTA will be meeting with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) authorities which have agreed to allocate funds for the development of the North.

The Northern tourism industry wants Jaffna to be part of the tours and promotional campaigns alongside the rest of Sri Lanka.

This year for the first time the NPTA will be participating at the Sancharaka Udawa tourism trade fair in Colombo with a separate stall of its own.

NPTA past President Sunil Dissanayake said that the plans were drawn up to initiate flights from Palali to Chennai with Air Alliance; ensure a 74-seater aircraft can fly in and since mid 2023 the existing four flights were increased to daily flights per week.

An expansion of the Palali runway is planned that will be adequate enough to accommodate an A320 aircraft carrying a larger number of passengers, it was noted adding that flights would then be operated Katunayake - Palali - Chennai.