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By Shirajiv Sirimane

An Eco Lodge will be built at the Singharaja forest with the assistance of USAID in a bid to promote nature tourism in Sri Lanka early next year.

"This is proposed to be a 100% Eco Lodge from start to finish," said Director and Chief Executive Officer Serendib Leisure, Srilal Mithrapala, one of the co-ordinators of the project.

Speaking to the 'Daily News' he said that the US AID program is keenly interested in promoting this project and they have pledged all financial assistance for research and planning. "We are hoping to get a few Sri Lankan investors involved in this project and build 25 rooms."

He said that there is a growing demand especially from the European tourist market for Eco friendly accommodation and this will be an ideal location for them with the Singharaja forest in the background."

Mithrapala said that they will be targeting the upmarket clientele for the first stage and later the project would be expanded.

He said that Hotel Sigiriya which is being marketed by Serendib Leisure is also keen in promoting this concept. "Our management takes great care not to disturb nature and environment and we are also into many community projects such as teaching English to rural children in the area with the assistance of UK teachers."

The management also hosted the contestants of the Miss Tourism Beauty pageant international at the Hotel Sigiriya recently and donated school books and many other items to schools and an orphanage in the area.

He said that the hotel is also planning to set up a tourist information centre in the hotel. "This would be like a study centre."

Mithrapala said that hotels in the Sigiriya area have got together to promote the Sigiriya icon as a destination. "There had been a long-term master plan drawn up for nearly five years but only a few of them have come into effect."

He said the 'sound and light show' depicting the history of Sigiriya in a hologram form was in the offing for almost five years. "Finally we have got an expert from the United States and now I am confident that this project will come into effect soon."

He also said that 'Sigiriya' is still considered a stop over destination and the hotels in the area are planing to change that image. "Some stay overnight to climb the Sigiriya Rock while Sigiriya is being used as a transit point to go to the North East."

Mithrapala said that the hotels in the area are now planning to market bird watching, Spice gardens and places of historical interest such as Ritigala and also nature and culture.

Another hotelier in the area said that the opening of Sri Lanka's most expensive resort hotel Elephant Corridor in Sigiriya too will add value to the destination. "Since this hotel is planning to sell a room at around 250 US dollars, this will bring high spending tourists to Sigiriya."

He said that this would be a major boost to tourism in the area. "Some of the hotels are also planning to upgrade some of their rooms in a bid to get the 'Eco friendly tag'. "This will be a classification which the industry will be looking for in the near future," he said.

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