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Govt. intensifies diplomatic push to urge foreign nations to revise travel advisories
View(s):To increase tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, the Government together with tourism authorities has launched several initiatives, including renewed measures to get foreign countries to revoke or revise adverse travel advisories on Sri Lanka.
Germany, Canada, and New Zealand are among the countries that have issued travel advisories warning their citizens to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel to Sri Lanka due to an increased risk of terrorism, civil unrest, and crime.
At a meeting with Colombo-based diplomats recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry requested them to reflect on the stability in the country and revise the travel advisories to encourage more tourists to visit Sri Lanka.
A Foreign Affairs Ministry official said the ministry along with Sri Lanka Tourism constantly monitored travel advisories and had a continuous engagement with Colombo-based diplomatic missions to communicate to them the improvements on the ground with regard to their concerns such as safety.
The official said that as a result of these initiatives, some countries have revoked or revised the travel advisories.
He said the ministry planned to improve Sri Lankan tourism through measures such as improved bilateral relations with foreign countries, constant engagement with the Tourism Ministry and increased use of social media platforms.
A Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority official said the main reason behind these travel advisories was the misunderstanding they had due to inaccurate reports.
He also said discussions were being held with Colombo-based foreign missions while Sri Lanka’s ambassadors were also holding talks with the relevant authorities in host countries to urge them to revoke the adverse travel advisories.
Apart from these measures, the Government is also intensifying measures to address concerns over the safety of foreign tourists. The Government has increased security measures in key tourist areas and a new electronic travel authorisation system to register potential visitors before they arrive is also being implemented to address the concerns.
The Government has also launched a worldwide tourism promotion campaign to attract visitors to the country. The campaign includes showcasing the country’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and special and rare attractions, the official said.
| Monthly arrivals top 100,000, so far For the fourth successive month, monthly visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka passed the 100,000 mark this year. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 105,498 tourists arrived in April (up by 67.5% year-on-year), taking the total to 441,177. But, compared with 125,495 arrivals in March 2023, visitor numbers have dropped by 19,997. The SLTDA hopes Sri Lanka would be able to cross the half-million mark by the end of this month. India, Russia, and the United States topped the list of arrivals in April.
In 2022, Sri Lanka earned US$1.1 billion from tourism, which is being revived with the help of private stakeholders. Last week, an agreement was signed by Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and the Emirates Airlines Chief Commercial officer Adnan Kazim in Dubai. Mr Fernando said Sri Lanka looks forward to working with Emirates “to grow the tourism sector and make a positive impact on our economy’’. Sri Lanka’s tourism board also participated in ‘The Arabic Travel Market’ in Dubai on Wednesday. | |
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