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Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Tuesday, 31 August 2021 01:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka Tourism said yesterday it is all geared to welcome Indian travellers once again from this week, backed by support from the national carrier SriLankan Airlines.
A statement from Sri Lanka Tourism said the country has opened its borders to India after a long-anticipated hiatus. 
As per the latest health guidelines, fully vaccinated travellers will only require a negative PCR 72 hours prior to arrival and an on-arrival PCR test at a certified hotel. Tourists will then be allowed to travel freely across the country.
To push the efforts to lure more Indian travellers, SriLankan Airlines will operate four weekly flights to Chennai, three to Mumbai, and one to Bengaluru under its new schedule, with plans underway to introduce significant frequency enhancements.
As per the new schedules, the airline will be resuming services between Colombo and the Indian points: Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum and Cochin, with flights once a week, whilst Hyderabad and New Delhi will be connected to Colombo with twice-weekly flights.
Further, SriLankan Airlines frequencies out of Chennai and Mumbai will expand up to five times a week, whilst its Bangalore to Colombo services will be enhanced to three times a week.
The airline has also commenced a ‘buy one-get one free’ campaign to attract travellers to fly to Sri Lanka.
“We look forward to welcoming our closest neighbours yet again, so they may experience the variety that Sri Lanka has to offer. Our country’s heritage, culture, wildlife, nature, beaches and more have always proven to be popular among Indian travellers, and they will be able to visit destinations across the country, while following the relevant health guidelines,” Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said.
Sri Lanka has had a significant vaccination drive in the last few months and has one of the highest vaccination rates in Asia.
The current protocol states any vaccination type accepted by the country of origin will also be accepted here. Children under the age of 18 who have not received vaccination will be able to follow their vaccinated parents on the same itinerary and will have to undergo a second PCR test if they complete over 10 days in Sri Lanka. The full list of guidelines can be accessed at the Sri Lanka Tourism Portal (srilanka.travel/helloagain).
“The relaxed guidelines are extremely clear, and we invite all travellers and travel agents to visit the portal to learn more about pre-arrival procedures, insurance and more,” Fernando added.
India has historically been one of the top two markets to Sri Lanka due to the proximity, the flight connectivity and the diversity that Sri Lanka offers.
Given the high volume of visitors that other countries saw immediately upon opening, the same intensity of booking is expected of Sri Lanka as well.
