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by S. Kalaiselvam

Rest Areas are an essential feature in countries where tourism is a major activity. In some countries such as Australia, Road Development Authorities establish Rest Areas along major highways while in other countries the local authorities as well as the private sector develop Rest Areas realising the need for them. Rest Areas could be categorised into two major types.

Namely, Comfort Centres and Picnic Areas. Comfort Centres could be divided again into two types such as Comfort Centres located along highways and those located near tourist sites. Comfort Centres along highways provide basic facilities such as parking, toilets, snacks, places to rest for a while, mainly for the motorists driving along such highways. There main purpose is to provide some rest for the motorists to overcome their fatigue or tiredness in driving a long distance. In more sophisticated Comfort Centres they provide in addition to the basic facilities information centres, telephone facilities, and also accommodation for over night stays.

Comfort Centres near tourist sites also provide the basic facilities listed above along with some information or guide literature with regard to the particular site. Picnic Areas are mainly for people to gather in numbers and relax for long hours. Most of the picnic areas are visited in groups and they constitute either office workers or families with their spouses and children.

Unlike Comfort Centres, Picnic Areas require bigger areas to provide sufficient parking facilities to the visitors and also to provide other facilities such as curio shops, restaurants, playing areas especially for children etc. Many tourists both local and foreign have assisted the need for Rest Areas in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) has already started establishing new Rest Areas and Picnic Areas in Sri Lanka in their own initiative.

The first Picnic Area is located at the 65th km post at Bentota along the Colombo-Galle Highway. At this Picnic Area SLTB has provided a parking area, separate toilet facilities for males and females, a summer house and garden tables and benches for tourists to relax and enjoy some snacks, which they may bring on their own or purchase at the centre. Since this Picnic Area is located near the sea we have proposed to develop this further so that the tourists could have a sea bathing facility at this locality specially during the off monsoon season.

Two (2) other Comfort Centres have been established at Buduruwagala in the Anuradhapura district and Auwkana in the Anuradhapura district. These also will be opened during the first quarter of 2003. Due to the ongoing peace process since of late large numbers of tourists have started visiting Nilaveli Beach almost daily. Lack of toilet facilities and resting areas have been one of the biggest constraints in Nilaveli.

SLTB in collaboration with the Kuchchaveli Pradeshiya Sabha established another Picnic Area along the Nilaveli beach to facilitate the tourists. Today tourists enjoy this Picnic Area without discomfort as it provides the basic needs for the tourists. We are quite grateful to the private landowner who offered his land at Nilaveli free of charge to establish the Picnic Area.

It is presumed that the local authorities as well as the private sector consider the establishment of Rest Areas as a basic requirement for the tourists and follow the initiative taken by the SLTB to establish Rest Areas at least along the major routes initially. SLTB could provide whatever technical assistance required in this regard. Private sector who could sponsor establishment of Rest Areas could make use of such locations for their advertising or commercial work.

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