Tag: sri lanka tourism

Sri Lanka will implement a short-term action plan to revive the country’s tourism industry which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said on Monday. He said the government will allocate nearly $1 million over the next four months to revive tourism and the short-term action plan was being finalized, reports Xinhua news agency. Under the plan, 12 new tourist attraction sites identified in several districts would be developed while community tourist villages would also be developed, IANS said in a report. Ranatunga said the action plan will also be taken to modernize the Negombo, ... Read more

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to extend the debt moratorium for the country’s crisis-hit tourism sector by another six months. A debt moratorium on capital and interest for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector which was initiated in April 2019 in the wake of the Easter attacks and expected to expire on September 30, has been extended until March 31 2021, Xinhua news agency quoted the CBSL as saying. The CBSL requested licensed commercial banks and licensed specialized banks to provide moratoriums following representations made by the Ministry of Tourism and in light of the ongoing effects of the pandemic on tourism-related businesses, ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s small hotels which have developed from serving tourists through global booking engines will be given provisional licenses to get Covind-19 health certification to operate when the country opens for tourists in the future, the country’s tourism promotion agency said. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said about 60% of the industry is estimated to be in the small and medium sector and there were about 50,000 businesses providing rooms through booking agencies like Agoda.com, Booking.com and Airbnb.com, Economy Next reports. “After a series of consultations with the SME sector and to support them during this pandemic and ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is gearing up to set up branches across the island that will improve the services extended.  Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said that plans are afoot to have SLTDA branches in each of the provinces so that the needs and requirements of tourists are well looked after, Mirror Business has reported. “In the past, provinces worked separately, but now we are looking at an ‘all of the country’ approach for tourism. For this we are working closely with the provinces and the relevant authorities.  So far, the support extended for ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s second underwater museum has opened, off the Sandy Bay beach in Trincomalee. The island’s first ever underwater museum was inaugurated earlier this year in the Galle Harbour. The museum was built utilizing the manpower of the Sri Lanka Navy. All the statues placed here have been handmade by naval personnel and these unique sculptures have been produced from concrete and eco-friendly materials. The site will promote the formation of corals which will be an added feature with the passage of time. The museum has been set at a depth of around 60ft within an area of 150ft length and ... Read more

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism has announced that the government has taken a slew of measures to provide relief to stakeholders in the tourism industry. The Ministry, together with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), is taking steps to sustain the lives of employees directly involved in the tourism industry and other establishments registered with the SLTDA. Following relief measures have been approved with implementation mechanisms, the Ministry of Tourism said in a media release. Provide a loan at 4% to accommodation providers and destination management companies (DMCs) registered under SLTDA to pay salaries through Bank of Ceylon (BOC) ... Read more

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has come on board to facilitate the development of a roadmap towards ‘Building a Safer and Resilient Tourism Sector in Sri Lanka: Post COVID-19’, to better assess the rapidly evolving pandemic and its crippling impact on the tourism sector.   This national roadmap is intended to catalyse the development of a framework to support the development of a new Strategic Plan and Vision for tourism 2021-2024. The first in a series of  consultations with development partners convened under the theme; ‘Putting People First: Building a more Resilient Tourism Sector in Sri Lanka’ was held on ... Read more

Sri Lanka has cleared a proposal to offer concessionary loans to the hospitality and travel sector to pay salaries during the Coronavirus epidemic. Hotels and travel agencies, registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), would be allowed to get a 5-year loan at a 4% interest rate, to pay a Rs 20,000 salary to each worker for up to 6 months. The loan could be repaid in 5 years with a 2-year grace period, Economy Next has reported. Tourism related firms registered with the SLTDA including restaurants, spas, wellness centres would be given a credit facility to pay ... Read more

Sri Lanka Tourism has prepared guidelines and taken precautionary measures to start welcoming overseas guests from August 1. The country’s major airports, Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo Ratmalana Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa Hambantota Airport, will be in operation to receive the tourists. All travellers will require a valid visa that will be issued for 30 days and can be extended for up to six months after arrival. Further relaxation for long stay guests is currently under consideration, which will enable tourists to have five-year multiple-entry visas with a maximum of six months stay. Visa fee is USD 100. In order to ... Read more

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be reopened from August 1, with adequate safeguards. He said issues facing the tourism industry as well as measures necessary for a quick revival came up for discussion when the Task Force Committee entrusted with COVID-19 control met under the patronage of the President. It was the Task Force that recommended re-opening of the airports for foreign tourists, as the country gradually returns to normalcy. President Rajapaksa highlighted the necessity of following health guidelines issued by international and local health experts in the event of opening the ... Read more

Sri Lanka has further extended the validity period of all visas for foreigners until June 11, and has advised getting it endorsed before the period lapses. The previous extension granted on April 1 will lapse on May 12. “Applicants shall pay the relevant visa fee and get the visa endorsed in the passport by securing an appointment via https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/vs/home.php on or before June 11,” the immigration department said. Foreigners experiencing difficulties in booking their appointments online have been advised to contact +94070710050 between 9 am and 4 pm. Reports suggest that there are more than 10,000 tourists in Sri Lanka, ... Read more

In an effort to ramp up Indian outbound tourists visiting Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism in collaboration with SriLankan Airlines, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and inbound tour operators has introduced attractive packages, specifically targeting India, the number one source market, to revive the industry that had a temporary setback due to the recent incident. The package offered includes discounted airfare, accommodation, transport and more, ranging from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. This package is unique to India and can be availed across Sri Lankan Airlines’ network covering 12 cities in India with 123 weekly flights. ... Read more

Authentic, Compact and Diverse; That’s what Sri Lanka is all about. Only 66,000 square km in area, yet a treasure trove of diverse and astonishing surprises. Sri Lanka is a cornucopia of magnificent beaches, rain forests, charming villages, hill country tea plantations, centuries old cities, emerald green paddy fields, fascinating cultural traditions, spectacular pageants and festivals, spicy, exciting cuisine and so much more. All this is contained in a compact, tropical island in which its people have been justifiably renowned for their warmth and hospitality. Due to its compactness and diversity, you can behold world’s largest animal (Blue Whale) and ... Read more

Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts has been awarded the prestigious title of ‘The Most Valuable Hospitality Brand in Sri Lanka’ for 2019 by Brand Finance PLC. The leading hotel chain was presented with the award by Brand Finance, world’s leading independent brand valuation and rating firm, after an expert panel of brand analysts and consultants reviewed a detailed analysis of data obtained from public and other sources. The Brand Value for Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts recorded an increase of 23 per cent from the previous year to secure its position at #23 among Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Brands in 2019. In ... Read more

Kerala tourism was experiencing a very dull season last year due to the Nipah outbreak and the devastating floods. At the same time, the neighbouring island nation, Sri Lanka has been aggressively marketing its scenic locations and pristine beaches, destinations which Kerala too offers, in the past half a decade or so attracting a good number of visitors there. The cost of visiting Sri Lanka and Kerala is almost the same for a traveller, which also made Sri Lanka a preferred destination for travellers. But, with the recent Easter bombings in the island nation on April 21, that killed 290 ... Read more