Wilpattu records tourist influx

Records Rs. five m income in three months :

Nimal Wijesinghe, Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

The Wilpattu National Park has become a major attraction among local and foreign tourists. The sanctuary has brought in an income of around Rs. five million from tourists between the period from January to March 2012, said Wild Life Conservation Minister S.M. Chandrasena.

“In comparison, the total revenue from the Wilpattu National Park last year was Rs. eight million,” the minister said.

Minister Sirisena said Rs 600 million has been allocated to provide more facilities, such as,lodgings, campsites,better transportation facilities, security etc for the benefit of tourists.

“Tourist arrivals has surged since a new road network was constructed connecting the Deyata Kirula- -2012 exhibition site at Oyamaduwa with the roads linking the North and South close to Wilpattu.

He said tenders have been called for the construction of four holiday bungalows for the Wilpattu National Park, in addition to the four existing resorts. A new road is being constructed to enable tourists to reach areas in the park which have so far remained unexplored.

Minister Chandrasena said traffic conjestion to the park has greatly eased with the recent opening of a new entrance close to Tanthirimale.

The Wilpattu National Park which consists of 140,000 hectares of forested landscape belongs to the Puttalam. Anuradhapura and Mannar districts. The Weerakkulichola and Eluwankulama forest reserves and the Thabbowa park are located within the landscape of this national park which also houses about dozen tanks and 42 shallow lakes.

Sanctuary sources said 140 foreigners visited Wilpattu in January 2011 while around 500 foreign and local tourists visited in January 2012.

In contrast, around 2,000 tourists visited the Wilpattu sanctuary last month.

Regular raids are conducted to nab hunters from poaching in the Wilpattu National Park and several suspects were taken in by the wild life authorities on March.