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Stay more, pay more at Yala
The Wildlife Department is studying a plan to introduce a time-based ticketing system for visitors to the Yala National Park, one of Sri Lanka’s top tourist attractions.
Many who lined up at the gate for hours to buy tickets left disappointed. Pix by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi
The department is considering the new system after several attempts in the past three months failed to restrict the entry of vehicles into the park. The moves came following wildlife experts expressing concerns over the harm being caused to animals and park by the uncontrolled influx of vehicles.
There were also allegations that the park administration was mishandling the issue, and, as a result, several tourists had been turned away at the gate. This has tarnished the park’s international image, tourists say.
Last month authorities decided to restrict the number of vehicles entering the park to 300 a day, but following complaints from safari jeep drivers, the number was increased to 400 and this month to 550, though earlier, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had severely criticised the increase.
The Wildlife Ministry’s newly appointed Secretary, Douglas Nanayakkara, told the Sunday Times that the Wildlife Director General and an experts’ team had been drawing up a new system to control the influx of vehicles into the park.
He said that they were considering a plan to introduce tickets based on the number of hours a visitor spends in the park. At present, the entry ticket is valid for the whole day. “Under the current system, visitors, in addition to viewing animals, take time off to have meals and rest in the park. This deprives another vehicle carrying visitors the opportunity to enter the park. This is why we are thinking of introducing a time-based ticketing system,” he said.
According to the new system being studied, the ticket will permit a visitor to stay inside the park subject to a time limit, which is to be determined later. If the visitor exceeds the permitted time limit, he/she will have to pay extra for the additional hours at the exit gate. Mr. Nanayakkara said the new system would also raise the park’s revenue because more vehicles carrying visitors will be able to enter the park, while it offers a solution to the problem of overcrowding.
Several attempts in the past three months failed to restrict the entry of vehicles into the park
Independent Safari Jeep Owners Association President P.D. Keerthi told the Sunday Times that under the current system, some jeeps did not get a single trip. They would have to wait till the jeeps that had gone inside returned for them to make the trip, but most jeeps would only return just before the park closed its gates.
He said many tourists who line up at the gate for hours to buy tickets leave disappointed. This is because the park stops issuing tickets after the specified number of tickets is sold. Even if tickets are available in the afternoon, a jeep carrying the afternoon tourists cannot go in until a vehicle that has gone inside in the morning returns, as the park’s policy restricts the number of vehicles inside the park at any given time to 550, he said.
Mr. Keerthi said they had tried to meet Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera to explain matters but failed.
Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle spokesman Supun Lahiru Prakash earlier said the wildlife authorities should carry out studies on the park’s capacity to accommodate vehicles before taking decisions. He said a national park’s prime purpose was to conserve wildlife within a natural environment. The secondary purpose was providing tourists an opportunity to visit and observe the wildlife while the third purpose was to raise revenue to maintain the park.
| Pirith ceremony to protect wildlife To protect Sri Lanka’s wildlife, a pirith chanting ceremony will be held at Yala Wild Life Headquarters at Palatupana today. Blessings would be also invoked on Wildlife Department officials who have passed away. Yala Park warden D.P. Sriyasinghe told journalists that the religious programme was supported by several tourist hotels and environmental groups. | |