Goodwill luxury cruise between Sri Lanka and India
View(s):A goodwill cruise between Sri Lanka’s northwest Talaimannar port and India’s southern Rameswaram port is an ambition that the country’s top luxury yacht builder is working towards – to achieve by end 2019.
Pierre Pringiers
Pierre Pringiers, 74 years, a long-standing Sri Lanka resident from Belgium and Chairman of Sail Lanka Yachting Group, made this promise during a long- ranging interview with the Business Times, where he spoke at length on his vision to create an industry which has the capacity to build 500 to 600 super luxury yachts.
“I want to re-establish the link between Talaimannar and Rameswaram and have the first luxury cruise between Sri Lanka and India. I am aiming for end of 2019 after getting the necessary government permits. But first I want to have a goodwill cruise with important people in the industry and get permission for that first,” he said, speaking excitedly about future plans.
After building a reputation in the south in which his efforts in 2007 signalled the roaring demand for whale watching and a super luxury boat building industry, Mr. Pringiers is now setting his sights on helping the development of the North which he says is virgin territory and not attracting, as of now, many tourists.
“This is a new kid on the block and I want to set up firstly a training centre in Poonakari to train people in boat building skills and thereafter manufacturing facilities,” he said, reflecting on how his southern operation at Mirissa was similarly begun – training centre followed by manufacturing facilities.
A new area for Sri Lanka, Mr. Pringiers says there is scope for several hundred super yachts to ply on Sri Lankan waters and thereby attract more tourists. He is in the process of building a super luxury, 10-room French-designed floating boutique hotel with an exclusive deck for each room called Ocean Diamond which would be ready by end 2019. “If I really get going I can build two or three boats like the Ocean Diamond which can go from East coast to the West coast – up and down.”
The cabins, with a private deck each, offers luxurious comfort. The suites, designed like any hotel room, provides a private bathroom, wifi, safe and storage space.
He said the government should encourage building of super luxury yachts which would cost here around less than US$ 3 million to build for 10 rooms compared to $10 to $30 million for five rooms, to import one. “The less-cost option would attract many foreign investors.”