Sri Lanka is thinking about reopening its tourism division on August 1st and it would allow only small groups of visitors at the beginning, according to a tourism official of the island country.
Kimali Fernando, the chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, which is a government body, denied a report that the sector would re-open in mid-June.
A restricted small group of travelers from around the world would be allowed to visit from August and stay in approved five-star hotels that have implemented strict safety measures in place, said Fernando.
Fernando confirmed that tourists need to carry a COVID-19-free certificate issued either by their governments or a reputed agency, and would also need to wait on arrival at the airport for corona virus screening.
Fernando added that individual travelers would be restricted to enter the country as of now.
Sri Lanka reported another 20 cases of the virus on Saturday, with the total number of cases so far going to 1,613, including 10 deaths.
Sri Lanka witnessed around 2 million tourists last year and tourism contributes around 11% to the nation’s gross domestic product.
Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa discussed the proposals at a meeting with tourism industry representatives this month.
Tags: Sri Lanka
