Jaffna wakes up to tourism but long way to go
View(s):By Quintus Perera reporting from Jaffna
Jaffna which was dead for nearly 35 years is slowly waking up though apparently the ‘promised land’ is some distance away.
To gauge the reawakening and rediscover the ‘lost land’, members of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) in a bid to promote Jaffna as another travel destination like Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa underwent a 3-day extensive tour to Jaffna, last week. A Business Times team also joined the tour.
Tilak T Thilagaraj, Managing Director, Tilko Jaffna City Hotel appraising Ms Gayangi Wirasinha of United Holidays about the hotel situation in Jaffna. Pix by Quintus Perera
On the sidelines of the dinner thrown by Tilko Jaffna City Hotel in honour of the visiting SLAITO mission, Mahen Kariyawasan, President, SLAITO told the Business Times that, “We wanted to rediscover ourselves, the actual ground situation, the strengths and potentials of Jaffna, so that we can properly focus Jaffna and add it to our inbound travellers’ itinerary.”
He said that they themselves have to be acquainted by these places of travel interest so that they could appraise the foreigners.
“I am amazed; it is a great place to be visited, though there are little things that have to be sorted out. Hotels are quite good”, he revealed. In Jaffna, he said the scope is vast.
When Mr Kariyawasan was asked to comment on the issue of accommodation, he said that Jetwing has started a major hotel project and already the foundation has been laid and in another two three years’ time there would be several large hotels available in Jaffna.
There were top notch travel magnates like Husain Jayah, Director – Sales, Aitken Spence Hotels, Asgar Mohideen, Chairman, United Holidays and Wasantha Leelananda, President Walkers Tours along with Mr Kariyawasan who heads Andrew the Travel Co (Pvt) Ltd in the delegation.
The SLAITO group visited every place of interest that would attract the foreign traveller like the Jaffna Dutch Fort, Nallur Kovil, Mandri Manai, Nagadeepa Viharaya, Chatty Beach, Point Pedro, Keerimalai, Kurimanduwan Jetty and many other such places that would be likened by the exploring traveler.
The mass expanse of water is everywhere around Jaffna – lagoons, estuaries and the blue seas with yet unexploited beaches enthralled the group and some commented that if properly developed the water sector would become the major draw, which most travelers would love. The visitors were amazed at such magnificent, endless water stretches.
There are several islands like Kachchativu, Mullaitivu, Karativu (‘tivu’ denotes island) but once they are connected by bridges the islands become cities such as ‘Karainagar’. The roads leading to these islands are through long stretches of water on either side. Some of them of are occupied by the Navy and in them the native community has been uprooted. So travellers too cannot visit these Navy-occupied islands.
The chaotic state of A32 Jaffna Mannar trunk road
SLAITO experienced the art of casting nets and the vast variety of birds that were flying in formation. Sasanka Nanayakkara, Director, D Holidays (Pvt) Ltd, a veteran inbound travel agent and a bird lover was dumbfounded to watch the variety of sea birds hauling fish all the way across these waters. He said that with his knowledge of birds, he has identified that some of these birds are seasonal migrants and if this aspect is properly focused, it would also become a major attraction.
The Business Times also accompanied SLAITO in visiting different hotels. Tilko Jaffna City Hotel is one of the best hotels, located on the Kankesanthurai Road. Its Managing Director, Thilak T Thilagaraj, told this newspaper that they are a star class hotel with 42 luxury rooms and modern facilities are in place, in them.
It came up in 2010 with a Rs 500 million investment. According to Mr Thilagaraj in a matter of another one to two years 100 more rooms would be added, to bring it to world class level.
Balasubramaniam Kandeebaraj (Raj), Front Office Manager, Gnanam Hotel, with 30 rooms, another leading hotel said that one of the difficulties is finding professional staff. He said that the hotel industry has the prospect of eventually becoming a big industry in Jaffna. He stressed the need for a hotel school urgently.
Many small hotels in Jaffna are guest houses and the total number of rooms available in Jaffna today would be around 300 according to the Jaffna travel industry and the occupancy is more than 85 per cent, mostly by local southern Sri Lankans and the balance 15 per cent are foreigners. All the big time hoteliers have extension plans, and some have already started these expansions.
Pillaiyar Inn is another luxury hotel with 35 rooms. Ms Ratnawasan Priyanga, one of its owners said they started in 2002 with only six rooms and now have 35 rooms, of which 21 are luxury with all modern amenities. Tourism coming to Jaffna, she said, is great and said that the North is rich with diverse culture, which foreigners would love to experience.
They too are poised to expand and she said that they have enough land to expand, but one hitch for this keen entrepreneur is funds. She said that some institutions like the World Bank, ADB or USAID should assist them to finance the expansions.
S Karthi, AGM, Green Grass, another Jaffna luxury hotel, while supervising the dinner for guests, said they are fully geared to be an eco-friendly hotel and as a first step commenced recycling waste water. It is with 25 luxury rooms with conference facilities that could accommodate more than 1,000. They also have star-class facilities. Within one year or so the number of rooms would be increased to 55 luxury rooms and suites with an addition of two more floors.
War ravaged house in the Kilinochchi area
Expatiate Tamils all over the world who enjoy most modern comforts would visit their birth place of origin enjoying the same comfort bringing their children along with them to experience kovil festivals in their home towns.SLAITO says it is enthusiastic and determined to forge ahead to make Jaffna a part of its itinerary for foreign travellers.
Yet it is unfortunate that there are problems that are likely to kill the enthusiasm and development of hotel trade in Jaffna.
According to on-the-spot information gathered by the Business Times, there are major set-backs. It appeared, given the dilly-dallying attitude of the government towards this part of the country, most of those who spoke, have doubts cast in their minds in making vast investments.
Mr Thilagaraj of Tilko Jaffna emigrated to London when he was 17 years to study in a university because he was barred in Sri Lanka due to standardisation of A Level marks. Now he is an owner of a palatial home on 2 ˝ acre block of land in London.
With partial peace in 2002, with dual citizenship he sold some of his properties and came to Sri Lanka and bought several properties here including the one in which Tilko Jaffna City Hotel is – a BOI Project and he had the idea of starting several other hotels on the lands he purchased in other areas, here.
He said that the war started in 2006 and he was compelled to go back to London. End 2009 he was back in Sri Lanka and completed the hotel construction in 2010.
He urged for the Government to formalise the dual citizenship process. Doing away with dual citizenship prevents expatriate Tamils visiting Sri Lanka.
There is a treasure trove of wealth available with these vast number of Tamil expatriates and they would definitely come back to their birth of origin, if the conditions are conducive and the first step would have to be citizenship, Mr Thilagaraj said.
Irfan Farook, Managing Director – Lanka Vacations (Pvt) Ltd. an old travel company, while travelling from Tilko Jaffna to Gnanam Hotel told the Business Times, that he is really curious to know and see Jaffna and hotels as some Tamils from Malaysia and India have already booked to come to Jaffna. In addition, he said that some Japanese also booked to visit Jaffna, but he very much cautious for if anything went wrong, they would have to pay heavy fines for violating the contract.
A comment by another Tamil was that the government must work out a mechanism to find out the kith and kin of the demised owners of the lands that are now abandoned. Only the war ravaged skeletons and debris of houses are everywhere resembling a ghost city. He said that then those expatriates who have claims would come to Sri Lanka along with their vast reserves of wealth.
Doubts and clueless of the future and stability, are what most of the Tamils expressed when they spoke to the Business Times. Some commented that the military presence is somewhat heavy and some vantage areas are taboo to people. Another major menace is the constant electricity power cuts. There are drains with stagnant murky water and the interior roads in the city are in a mess of disrepair.
Though the people in Jaffna are now happy, because of the major trunk roads are good for the traveller like the A9, the rail road would be ideal, with several express trains to which several air-conditioned coaches should be added.
Further there are major trunk roads like Jaffna – Mannar A32 road a stretch of around 80 km which is yet to be overhauled. The road beyond the Sangupiti Bridge is in a deplorable state and during rain it would be a complete muddy hole. Some parts are impassable where vehicles would be stuck in the mud.
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