Lanka Business Online
Fri Jan 2011
By Charitha Fernando
Naval Watch:
Sri Lanka Navy to begin whale watching tours
Jan 28, 2011 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka Navy has ventured into wild life tourism by offering whale watching tours to the public off the island's southern tip of Galle starting next month.
The Navy is to deploy the fast passenger vessel (FPV) 503 previously used to transport service personnel and civilians between the eastern port city of Trincomalee and Jaffna in the Island's north.
"Just as the passenger vessel Jetliner now being used for tourism, we want to use the FPV 503 for whale watching" Navy spokesman Athula Senerath said.
"The Navy's FPV 503 vessel can take around 350 passengers" he said.
The first inaugural tour is to take place during the week end with a very important person, the Navy said.
"We will decide the cost and frequency of tours depending on the demand from the public," Senerath said.
A high concentration of blue whales and sperm whales has been spotted in the seas off Dondra Head along the deep south coast of Sri Lanka during the months of January to April.
Experts have said that frequency of whale sightings and proximity to the shore makes Sri Lanka one of the easiest places in the world to spot blue or sperm whales.
Since the end of the brutal war with the separatist Tamil Tigers in May 2009, the government has been deploying the armed forces to speed up de-mining and resettlement efforts, infrastructure development.
Sri Lanka's tax funded military is engaging in business activities usually done by the people in the other countries.
Recently the government deployed the Army to sell vegetables competing against small businesses.
The Navy's venture in to whale watching will be the first instance that the armed forces are being used for wild life tourism in the country.
The Air Force runs an air service and the Navy also hires out a passenger carrier for cruise parties.
1 comments:
hi, where are you from? trinco?
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