Authorities in Sri Lanka’s Mannar District are preparing to launch a boat service allowing visitors to view all eight sandbanks associated with Adam’s Bridge, also known as Ramar Palam, as part of World Tourism Day celebrations.
Mannar District Secretariat Administrator K. Kanagakeswaran said preparations were under way for a trial run of the service on September 25. The initiative is being organised in connection with World Tourism Day celebrations scheduled to take place in Mannar from September 25 to 27.
A special discussion on the celebrations, organised by the Northern Province Tourism Bureau, was held at the Mannar District Secretariat Conference Hall. The event brought together the District Secretariat, the Urban Council and other relevant departments involved in preparations for the tourism programme.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Kanagakeswaran said the authorities intended to use the event to promote tourism in Mannar Island, which he described as historically significant.
“In order to develop tourism in the historically significant Mannar Island, the Northern Province Tourism Bureau, along with the District Secretariat, Urban Council, and other departments, have decided to host this year’s World Tourism Day celebrations—scheduled for September 27—in Mannar District,” he said.
More than 80 tourist locations have been identified across Mannar District, according to the district administration. This year’s celebrations will centre on Keeri Beach, which is among the identified sites.
The programme will also include an effort to promote the district’s culinary heritage. A traditional food festival is planned to showcase Mannar’s distinctive food traditions to visitors from within the district, other parts of Sri Lanka and overseas.
Kanagakeswaran said the authorities were also seeking to strengthen tourism by developing opportunities for visitors to experience the area’s historical and natural attractions. The planned boat service to the sandbanks of Adam’s Bridge forms part of that programme.
“To take the tourism sector of Mannar District to its highest potential, arrangements to view the 8 sandbanks connected to Ramar Palam, along with the inauguration event for the trial run, will take place on that day,” he said.
The boat initiative is therefore scheduled to be introduced during the three-day World Tourism Day programme, with the trial run taking place on September 25. The authorities have presented the service as part of broader preparations to expand tourism opportunities in Mannar while incorporating the district’s cultural heritage and identified tourist sites into the celebrations.
The programme will run through September 27, when World Tourism Day is scheduled to be observed, with Keeri Beach serving as the principal location for this year’s celebrations.
