Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
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Nearly 90,000 visitors flocked to the Port City Marina Promenade since its opening on 10 January, making it the latest must-see sight in Colombo.
As crowds draw to the new landscape, queues were seen forming outside the gates open from the Galle Face side, displaying great enthusiasm from the public to visit the new landscape.
Unprecedented numbers were seen, especially during the holiday, within the first week of opening from 10 and 17 January.
The Marina Promenade was ceremonially opened by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 9 January.
The Port City Colombo Marina Promenade is the first major attraction within the megaproject to be accessible to the public. The opening ceremony coincided with two significant anniversaries for Sri Lanka and China; 65 years since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations and 70 years since the signing of the historic Rubber-Rice Agreement between the two countries.
A total of 89,540 people visited the Marina Promenade during the week from 10 to 17 January.
The highest number of visitors, 25,580, were recorded on Sunday, 16 January. The next highest numbers were recorded on Friday and Monday, both of which were holidays, recording 19,717 and 21,665 visitors, respectively. The Marina Promenade features 500 metres of beautifully landscaped promenade and is one of many public areas expected to be opened to the public within Port City Colombo. A total of 91 hectares of land has been allocated for public use, including 53 acres of green spaces, two kilometres of beach, and 14 acres for a central park, along with walkways, waterways and park-connecting paths.
The Marina Promenade is open between 9.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. for the public and can be accessed through a special entrance located opposite the Presidential Secretariat. Vehicles are not allowed at present and the public is encouraged to follow all COVID-19 prevention guidelines during their visit. Due to the overwhelming number of visitors and considering the health and safety of the public, project officials decided only to allow a maximum of 700 people to stay in the Marina Promenade at any given time with restrictions on using the footbridge.
Port City Colombo is an extension to the commercial heart of Colombo – the Central Business District – spanning 269 hectares (ha) reclaimed from the sea. By building a world-class city; augmenting Colombo’s proposition as one of the best places to live, Port City aims to attract talent and investment to ensure a sustainable economic future by accelerating internationalisation. The multi-service Special Economic Zone status conferred by the recently enacted Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act positions Colombo as the ideal platform to leverage Sri Lanka’s geographical location connecting the East and West.
