Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Thursday, 31 December 2020 01:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) in a statement yesterday welcomed the arrival of the first group of tourists to Sri Lanka (SL) since the country re-opened its borders for tourism this week.
THASL President Sanath Ukwatte expressed his optimism for the success of the pilot program and his confidence that hotels participating in the Government’s post-COVID19 tourism program are capable and trained to handle tourism in the ‘new normal’.
The statement said SL has already provided quarantine accommodation to nearly 60,000 arrivals from over 130 countries since the airport closed to tourism in March. Sri Lanka’s hotels have been actively participating in the quarantine program led by the Ministry of Health and the Military.
“We have had several COVID-19 positive cases during this period and have successfully managed such cases with the highest health standards and in strong collaboration with health and military authorities. There have been no cases of transmission to the community from those who have quarantined in hotels,” Ukwatte said.
He also said Sri Lankan Ministries of Health and Tourism have issued extensive and strict rules for hotels participating in the pilot tourism program.
Hotels that can accept tourists in the new travel bubble concept are already vetted by the Ministry of Health. All hotels in the program have also built-in isolation and medical centres to care for tourists diagnosed with COVID-19.
THASL has expressed its confidence that Sri Lanka’s hotels, who have already managed thousands of quarantined individuals and several hundred COVID-19 cases effectively, are geared and highly capable of managing any new cases that may be detected.
“I wish the three Ukrainian tourists my well wishes for a speedy recovery. We all want to see them successfully recover from this illness in the quickest possible time. We are confident that with the care and attention provided by the medical authorities and our hotels, that not only will we see an effective recovery for our visitors but also the beginning of the recovery of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry following two terrible years of back-to-back crises,” Ukwatte added.
