Sri Lanka set to lure more foreigners from next month

The Ministry of Tourism will start promoting Sri Lanka as a ‘COVID-free’ country from the middle of next month, with plans to lure foreign travelers with special tour packages that will include generous discounts on a host of areas.

The drive to promote the country as a COVID-free destination will commence from mid-August as plans are on track to vaccinate 60 per cent of the population by then, a senior Tourism Ministry official said.

On Friday, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga hosted a virtual meeting with Sri Lankan envoys in countries that attract the most number of tourists to Sri Lanka. The minister appealed to them to start promoting the country as a COVID-free nation.

As part of efforts to attract tourists again, SriLankan Airlines is set to offer a ‘Buy one, get one free’ offer for air tickets. 

Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry has also negotiated with local hoteliers to offer special packages with a host of benefits.

The benefits include offering between 40-50 per cent discounts on room charges depending on the number of tourists or the tour package.

Other incentives include discounts on hotel meals, leisure activities, vehicle expenses, and reduced rates when hiring drivers and tourist guides.

The packages will initially be for a period of three months, and will be extended depending on the response, the official stated.

The government is also hopeful of fully vaccinating about 500,000 persons who directly work in the country’s tourism industry by mid next month.

Plans have also been made to expand direct flights between some countries. Accordingly, SriLankan Airlines is set to operate direct flights between Moscow and Colombo twice a week. The Tourism official further disclosed that Air France has also expressed an interest in operating a flight thrice a week to Sri Lanka via the Maldives.

Authorities are also planning to expedite PCR testing for tourists. Currently, a fully vaccinated tourist is allowed to travel without being quarantined after one negative PCR test, but it usually takes a day for those results to come. A new PCR machine to be set up at the Bandaranaike International Airport will allow for between 1500-2000 PCR tests to be conducted within a day. Test results will be available to tourists in just three hours. The machine has been purchased using funds provided by the German government, the official said.