Novel tourism on offer

Tea Tourism and colonial bungalows are common in Sri Lanka. But nobody has yet turned to coconut estates to develop tourism.
Deviating from the usual pattern in tourism, 'Mawatha Estate' in Wellawa, Kurunegala has become the very first estate bungalow to be developed as a tourist attraction. A young entrepreneur in the Kurunegala district for the first time has introduced coconut estate cottage tourism.

This is the brain child of proprietor, Ian Fernando, who is a lawyer by profession. 'This is my ancestral property but neglected for a long time. I was toying with this idea and took the challenge. Still it is in the basic level as far as the Tea Trails are considered' he explained.

As a single owner, Ian has invested Rs. 2 million so far to convert a traditional family home in to an eco-friendly bungalow.‘There are so many things to be done and I think interior structural changes should be the first priority and then develop the estate into an attractive location for both travellers from overseas and for Sri Lankans’ he said. In addition, he is also building a small swimming pool to add luxury to his concept.

This 14-acre coconut estate is just five minutes drive away from the Deduru Oya, which is a definite plus point with Sri Lankan holiday makers. The eco friendly Cottage in the Mawatha Estate has three rooms, which can accommodate 10 adults, a living room and the kitchen. He also introduced a novel open roof bathroom with a small garden. In addition a tree top, summer house which can used for private dining for ten people.

'This is a unique thing. Dining in the sky is the name of the hut and it can be turned into a comfortable bedroom for two in the night' Mr. Fernando said.‘One of the key feature sthat I discovered while I was travelling overseas, is that most of the tourists who visit the country do not get a first hand experience of the culture and rural living.

We can fulfill this vaccum giving a real taste of authentic living style of a common villager. I think, if we can hit the correct target market, others will also follow’ he added.

‘The tourist can see how coconut is planted, nursed and harvested and used for value addition. Coconut too can be used as a marketing tool as tea, which is a very common thing in Sri Lanka now’ Ian said.

In addition the guests are also taken to paddy fields to show them the activities of a farmer. Outdoor buffets and barbeque dinners too are popular amongst the guests now.

‘Still we do not get many guests. Our clientele is still based on only through the word of mouth and friends. I do not want bang on exposure, till I get the entire setup on correct track. There are much more things to be added and up graded before I get on to real advertising’ he explained Fernando also said that this concept is not for foreigners but also good for youngsters and expatriate children in Colombo.

Typical village vegetables, fresh fruit juices are also being prepared in the homegrown garden.‘We serve authentic cuisine and all star class meals at this place.

Our experienced cook is capable of handling any requirement' he added. The clay tennis court, walking tracks, bird watching and river bathing in the nearby Deduru Oya are some of the other attractions.

In a bid to help the rural craftsmen Fernando introduces exhibitions and promotes sales so that guests could purchase them. 'We are now in the process of designing a website and would be soon marketing the property internationally' he said.

They are also hoping to target cricket enthusiasts during the season. Sanjaya Silva , the Chairman of Charith Enterprise is also arranging special day excursions from estate to the places of interest.

Mawatha Estate is a good transit point to visit the Cultural Triangle and many interesting places in and around Kurunegala.