Sri Lanka is planning to enlist the help of the military to help boost deep-sea diving for tourists, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu said.
“We are talking to the associations in that area and we also plan on enlisting the help of the Army and Navy,” Gajabahu told EconomyNext on 2nd July.
Tri forces (army, navy, air force) and police account for nearly 30 percent of the country’s total state sector employees. Sri Lanka had a large number of military personnel when it ended a 26-year civil war in 2009.
“We plan on focusing on water sports such as surfing and diving.”
Sri Lanka has several diving centres including in Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa.
In addition to coral eco-systems near-shore, Sri Lanka has a large number of wrecks around the island, some dating back centuries.
The National Shipwreck Database of Sri Lanka lists 114 shipwrecks, with the oldest dating back to 2nd century BCE.
Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said authorities also want to boost yacht ownership and yacht based tourism.
As part of efforts to boost marine tourism, Sri Lanka is planning water festivals in August in Trincomalee, Arugam Bay and Kalpitiya.
Sri Lanka plans on attracting 2.3 million tourists in 2024 and is also trying to attract tourists who spend 300 to 400 dollar a day compared to the average of 180.
