Blue Bay Marine Park Centre

The Blue Bay Marine Park Centre, built with a view to better manage the marine park and offer quality service, was inaugurated on 30 June 2016. The new centre houses office spaces, a laboratory, a conference room and facilities to process permits. The centre is equipped with facilities to enable the technical/ scientific staff and enforcement officers to better perform their duties and ensure conservation and protection of the marine biodiversity assets. The project cost around Rs 30 million. In his address, the Minister of Ocean Economy, Prem Koonjoo, recalled that the ocean economy ranks high in the development agenda of the government. According to him, our marine ecosystem and biological diversity are core national assets which must be well managed to meet a broad range of economic and social aspirations for present and future generations. Hence, the need to preserve and protect the rich biodiversity of the marine park.. The Marine Park, covering an area of 353 hectares, is recognised for its exceptional underwater seascape and unique coral garden. It welcomes some 105 000 visitors yearly, both local and foreigners. In 2015, it was awarded the TripAdvisor certificate of excellence.