COLOMBO, 13 October 2021: Fully vaccinated tourists can now enter Sri Lanka with no need to quarantine on arrival, according to the latest government update released last week.
The only major requirement is a PCR test taken within 72 hours of embarkation for Colombo.
Sri Lankan Airlines, Air Canada, Qatar Airways and others currently fly to Sri Lanka from major hubs such as London, Frankfurt, Paris, Doha, Singapore and Toronto.
Tour operators in Sri Lanka see a strong uptick in bookings.
“There has been a noticeable increase since September,” said Khiri Travel Sri Lanka acting general manager Mahiru Fernando. “But since the 7 October announcement, enquiries and bookings have picked up at an even faster rate.”
In anticipation of the easing of restrictions, Khiri Travel Sri Lanka has created four ecotourism tours in Sri Lanka for visitors interested in respecting nature, going local and giving back.
From Mirissa, on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, guests can sail in a catamaran with a marine biologist to spot blue whales and dolphins. The trip includes swimming, stand-up paddling (SUP) and a seafood lunch on board.
In the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, the Trails of Matale trip lets guests talk to villagers and hike through pepper, cinnamon and coffee plantations, followed by a delicious banana leaf lunch.
In the Kandy hill country, Khiri has created an educational tour of herb gardens in the forest to show how spices such as cinnamon are cultivated. The trip includes a mug of locally grown “wild coffee”, a forest curry lunch and a donation to a reafforestation foundation.
Guests can also help with a seagrass restoration project in the Puttalam/Kalpitiya area in the northwest of the country. The experience involves getting muddy and wet in a lagoon planting seagrass, which is an important breeding ground for sea life. As is often the case, a delicious Sri Lankan lunch follows.
Since January 2021, Khiri has been offsetting guests’ holiday carbon emissions by charging USD1.50 per person per day. The process is being carried out in cooperation with ClimateCare, which helps companies such as Khiri Travel with the technical fulfilment of carbon offsetting.
“Khiri Travel is very pleased that Sri Lanka is taking a lead role in Southeast Asia tourism destinations by responsibly easing Covid-related travel restrictions,” said Khiri Travel CEO Willem Niemeijer.
“Sri Lanka has thousands of tour guides, drivers and people dependent on tourism. They will all welcome the economic boost that the lighter regulations bring.”
Full details of the health protocols for Sri Lanka tourism that became effective on 7 October 2021 are available here.
