Abstract:
Iranamadu tank is one of the largest reservoirs in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka with the land representing the watershed and the command area believed to be around 970 km2. Close proximity to the major high way connecting the South with the northern city Jaffna as well as near proximity to Killinochi town boosts the potential for being a tourism destination with recreational opportunities. Exploring these recreational opportunities is timely as the demand for visiting this area at the backdrop of ending of three decade civil war since May 2009. This study aimed to identify the recreational opportunities to promote Iranamadu tank and nearby area as a tourism destination. Specific objectives were to find out potential tourism typologies, community perception on tourism development and benefits for community through tourism development. For this mixed method research, Residents and stake holders of Iranamadu tank and nearby area and travellers to this area were considered as study population. Twenty five residents were selected by simple random sampling. Convenient sampling was used to select 25 travellers and 10 stake holders. Primary data was gathered from residents and travellers using two types of self-administered questionnaires. Data from allied Officers & community members of Iranamadu tank and nearby area was gathered by interview method. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS software. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics such as graphs and tables. Qualitative data was analysed using verbatim quotes. The results of this study revealed that the community has high perception on infrastructure, facility development and community involvement and considering potential tourism typologies to be promoted, highest priority was for water based tourism and secondly for eco-tourism. As a conclusion, it is highly recommend that the nature of the area, agriculture and their socio-cultural values shouldn't be disturbed or damaged due to tourism activities.
