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By Channa Kasturisinghe

A ferry service between Sri Lanka and Maldives will begin next month in a bid to boost tourism and trade between the two countries, an official for Shipping and Port Development Ministry sources told the Daily News yesterday.

A local company has already acquired the ministry approval for the service and they are awaiting a vessel which is due next week, the Ministry official said.

He said that the cruise fee would be in the form of a package, which includes hotel accommodation and other facilities.

The ferry service is expected to increase the number of tourists from Sri Lanka to Male and vice versa as they have the facility of visa on arrival. It would also facilitate tourists from Europe who have a preference for sunny Male beaches. The Ministry official said the ferry service is likely to precede the proposed Colombo/Tuticorin service as no MoU is needed to be signed between the two countries.

"The main reason for the delay of the Colombo/Tuticorin ferry service is the decision to sign a MoU between the two countries when there is no real need for such a MoU," the official said.

He said the Indian Government has requested the Sri Lankan Government to include a clause in the MoU stating the need for an operator to obtain the permission of either Government to operate a ferry service between the two countries.

"Once the clause is included the service would start but we cannot say the exact date the service would be started, the official said.

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