Dr Sarath Obeysekera

I am proposing to align with ADB / World Bank / Blue Economy frameworks:

Sri Lanka’s unfair advantages

• 1,340 km coastline with year-round warm waters
• Short sailing distances:
  • Negombo → Colombo → Galle → Mirissa → Matara (all doable in 1–3 day leisure hops)
• Natural attractions:
  • Whales (Mirissa)
  • Lagoons (Negombo)
  • Heritage ports (Galle)
• Food culture (fresh seafood on board is a luxury experience 

Sri Lanka already has nautical tourism  we just never packaged it.

Your Negombo yacht station idea is particularly strong

Negombo is:

• 15 minutes from BIA
• Already known as a fishing + tourism town
• Naturally suited for:
  • Yacht check-in / clearance
  • Short coastal cruising
  • Charter + sailing schools
  • Live-aboard seafood experiences

This is exactly how:

• Croatia
• Greece
• Turkey
• Maldives (on a much smaller coastline!)

built billion-dollar segments.

---

2. Can 

We do something about it? Yes — but not by waiting for government

Key truth

Government rarely leads in new tourism segments.

Private pilots force government to follow.So the question becomes: on How do you create something small, undeniable, and scalable?

---

3. Practical pathways forward (realistic, not idealistic)

A. Start with a 

pilot, not a national policy

Instead of asking for:

❌ National Nautical Tourism Strategy”

Push for:

✅ One pilot nautical tourism corridor

Example:

Negombo – Colombo – Galle coastal leisure route

With:

• 3–5 certified charter yachts (even 12–20m is enough)
• Day sails + 1–2 night coastal experiences
• Seafood BBQ + sunset + wildlife watching

Once tourists post this on Instagram, policy becomes irrelevant.

---

B. Use Port City as the Trojan Horse

Port City already has:

• Regulatory flexibility
• Investment mandate
• International branding ambitions

Position nautical tourism as:

Experiential lifestyle infrastructure”, not tourism.

Actions:

• Pitch Port City Marina-based sailing experiences
• Corporate sailing
• Sunset cruises
• Sailing schools
• Yacht hospitality

Port City can move much faster than SLTDA.

---

C. Leverage ADB reports 

strategically

Most ADB reports die on shelves.

But they’re powerful if reframed.

What to do:

• Extract 2–3 killer slides from:
  • ADB SLTDA reports
  • ADB EDB blue economy studies
• Combine with:
  • Boat show momentum
  • Your Negombo concept
• Create a 10-slide Pilot Concept Note”, not a report.

Audience:

• Port City Commission
• BOI
• Selected private investors
• ADB private sector ops (not public sector)

---

D. Frame it as 

foreign exchange + jobs

, not leisure

Government ignores nice ideas” but reacts to numbers.

Reframe nautical tourism as:

• High-spend tourists (USD 300–1,000/day)
• Skilled maritime jobs
• Marina services
• Boat maintenance ecosystems
• Fisheries value-add (your BBQ idea fits perfectly)

One yacht:

• Crew
• Chefs
• Mechanics
• Suppliers
• Dock staff

This is coastal SME creation, not luxury tourism.

---

E. Form a small 

Nautical Tourism Working Group

Not a committee — a coalition.

Who:

• 1–2 boat/yacht operators
• 1 hospitality entrepreneur
• 1 marina/port insider
• 1 policy/finance person

Objective:

Deliver one working product within 12–18 months.

Once it exists:

• Government will claim credit later (that’s fine)
• Regulations will suddenly become possible”

---

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera