A field visit to the Mederipitiya and Viharahena Community Homestay Villages in concurrence with the Livelihood Development Committee Meeting of the Matara District was held on 16.01.2020 under the patronage of Mrs. Deepa Sannasooriya, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.

The challenges and opportunities faced by the Homestay operators in restarting their operations under the new normalcy, were discussed during the visit. Several suggestions were made to restart community Homestay villages benefiting the community engaged in the tourism activities of the village during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homestay operators were encouraged to make use of social media as a promotion tool.

For details: Community Tourism Development

Homestay community tourism project is expected to give the tourists the opportunity to spend quality time with a selected host family to experience local customs and cultures. Residents of the villages will also be given training on food preparation and room preparation under this program.

Under this project the Ministry has spent LKR 5 Mn for the Mederipitiya village entrance road development in 2020. Also, two websites have been developed to advertise Mederipitiya and Viharahena Homestay villages.

Officials of the Ministry, Kotapola Divisional Secretariat, and Ruhuna Tourism Bureau were also participated in the visit.