News
Udayanga plans to bring Russian tourists, but no approval yet from health authorities
View(s):The Tourism Ministry has drawn up plans to receive as many as 5,000 tourists, most of them Russians, from later this month onwards, but the Health authorities are yet to grant approval.
The tour groups have been arranged by Udayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Russia and the tourists are expected to arrive from December 28, under a pilot project.
The Sunday Times learns that both the Bandaranaike International Airport and the Mattala airport are due to be used to receive the tourists.
Earlier the Tourism Ministry was planning to open the country for foreign tourists only from mid January and make use of only the Mattala international airport from where the tourists will be taken directly to the coastal line hotels in the south, east or north west.
Meanwhile, Airport and Aviation Services Chairman Major General (Retired) G.A. Chandrasiri told the Sunday Times that despite the announcement on the re-opening of the airports to tourists, no clear instructions had been given so far.
Major General Chandrasiri noted that both the BIA and the Mattala Airport were both ready to resume normal operations at a moment’s notice.
He said that a pilot project would be run to test how the prescribed health guidelines and airport procedures Would work once tourists started coming in.