Chariya
July 1st, 2010, 11:46 AM
Boat Travel
Sri Lanka lures Indian houseboat tourism firm
June 30, 2010 (LBO) – An Indian company has been given approval by Sri Lanka’s investment promotion agency to launch houseboat tourism services in a lake in the central hills, a statement said.
The Board of Investment said SAJ House Boat Builders & Operators signed a deal to provide houseboat services in Nuwara Eliya with an initial investment of 55 million rupees that will be increased to 100 million.
“The tourism market is looking at Sri Lanka as the most promising tourism destination in Asia,’ a BOI statement quoted Jaison Panikulangara, Director of SAJ House Boat Builders & Operators, as saying.
“To utilize the full potential of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, it is necessary to identify, develop and promote new and innovative tourism products.”
It said house boat operations are a successful tourism product in the Indian state of Kerala.
“Houseboat operations would be a successful tourist attraction in the inland water bodies including rivers, lakes and lagoons of Sri Lanka.”
The houseboats which the company will introduce are 100 feet in length, with a width of around 20 feet and the middle has a height of 16 feet.
The boats are made of wood with inboard engines.
The modern type houseboats have all the comforts of a 4-5 star hotel that include furnished bedrooms, living rooms, dining area and an upper deck providing seating for 100.
“The project is an environmentally friendly one where waste is collected in the boat and not released in the Nuwara Eliya Lake,” the BOI said.
The boats will be produced in India, but assembled in Sri Lanka.
A 24-room resort in Nuwara Eliya that will provide all the facilities needed by tourists will support the houseboats.
The BOI said there has been a consistent increase in tourist arrivals in the island since the end of the 30-year conflict in May 2009.
“The BOI’s strategy is therefore to bring in investments to develop the current tourism infrastructure by improving the existing hotel capacity or expanding its capacity.”
The Board of Investment has also granted investment approval to Hotel Services (Ceylon) to expand and refurbish Ceylon Continental Hotel located in the heart of Colombo’s business district with a scenic view of the Indian Ocean.
The will have an initial investment of a million dollars that will be increased to six million dollars.
LBO (http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1405130005)
I hope they dont build the shitty boats you see in India, have you seen the ones in the Kerela area? http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4751067471_f03963e327_m.jpg FT has got this image as the end result this doesnt even grasp anything Sri Lankan I hope they revise the designs and come up with something better than this one, dont want to see this crap in SL!
Sri Lanka lures Indian houseboat tourism firm
June 30, 2010 (LBO) – An Indian company has been given approval by Sri Lanka’s investment promotion agency to launch houseboat tourism services in a lake in the central hills, a statement said.
The Board of Investment said SAJ House Boat Builders & Operators signed a deal to provide houseboat services in Nuwara Eliya with an initial investment of 55 million rupees that will be increased to 100 million.
“The tourism market is looking at Sri Lanka as the most promising tourism destination in Asia,’ a BOI statement quoted Jaison Panikulangara, Director of SAJ House Boat Builders & Operators, as saying.
“To utilize the full potential of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, it is necessary to identify, develop and promote new and innovative tourism products.”
It said house boat operations are a successful tourism product in the Indian state of Kerala.
“Houseboat operations would be a successful tourist attraction in the inland water bodies including rivers, lakes and lagoons of Sri Lanka.”
The houseboats which the company will introduce are 100 feet in length, with a width of around 20 feet and the middle has a height of 16 feet.
The boats are made of wood with inboard engines.
The modern type houseboats have all the comforts of a 4-5 star hotel that include furnished bedrooms, living rooms, dining area and an upper deck providing seating for 100.
“The project is an environmentally friendly one where waste is collected in the boat and not released in the Nuwara Eliya Lake,” the BOI said.
The boats will be produced in India, but assembled in Sri Lanka.
A 24-room resort in Nuwara Eliya that will provide all the facilities needed by tourists will support the houseboats.
The BOI said there has been a consistent increase in tourist arrivals in the island since the end of the 30-year conflict in May 2009.
“The BOI’s strategy is therefore to bring in investments to develop the current tourism infrastructure by improving the existing hotel capacity or expanding its capacity.”
The Board of Investment has also granted investment approval to Hotel Services (Ceylon) to expand and refurbish Ceylon Continental Hotel located in the heart of Colombo’s business district with a scenic view of the Indian Ocean.
The will have an initial investment of a million dollars that will be increased to six million dollars.
LBO (http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1405130005)
I hope they dont build the shitty boats you see in India, have you seen the ones in the Kerela area? http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4751067471_f03963e327_m.jpg FT has got this image as the end result this doesnt even grasp anything Sri Lankan I hope they revise the designs and come up with something better than this one, dont want to see this crap in SL!