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Monday, 18 January 2021 01:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
Key stakeholders are busy getting ready to reopen borders and resume international tourism in the country from Thursday, a move which if successful will give a big boost to the COVID-19-hit economy, industry sources told the Daily FT yesterday.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) on Saturday notified all airlines of the resumption of commercial flights at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) from 21 January, subject to certain conditions related to safeguarding people from COVID-19 pandemic.
It said the total number of foreign tourists permitted to arrive in Sri Lanka should not exceed 2,500 per day.
Though industry believes numbers will be smaller initially and to increase thereafter in tandem with confidence and improved COVID situation, the arrival of tourists-proper and commercial airline flights will be after a 10-month closure of borders as part of measures to contain the pandemic. As a precursor to the formal re-opening, a pilot project involving around 2,000 Ukrainian tourists were flown since 28 December.
CAASL also said there will be no restrictions imposed on the number of passengers to be carried on Government organised repatriation flights for Sri Lankans abroad.
“The total number of passengers arriving for paid quarantine in terms of approvals granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be limited to 750 per day.
A maximum of 75 passengers for paid quarantine can be carried in an Aircraft and the rest could be filled with tourists,” CAASL told airlines.
Furthermore, all operations should be carried out in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the COVID-19 Task Force and the Ministry of Health. Additionally, all tourism operations must comply with the special guidelines of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
Separately the Immigration and Emigration Department announced that nationals from all countries except the UK, are allowed to enter Sri Lanka with online ETA for the purpose of tourism.
It said all arrivals from the UK and any nationals, who have been in the UK during the past 14 days are not allowed to enter Sri Lanka with online ETA for the purpose of tourism.
It said ETA applicants are strictly advised to follow the instructions during the Application process.
The Department strongly advises all applicants before requesting ETA permission to consult the airlines with permission and approval for departure to Sri Lanka from those countries and get directions and check the flights availability in advance to apply ETA to avoid unnecessary payments on the official ETA site (eta.gov.lk)
Prospective tourists as they embark on a journey to explore the wild and wonderful Sri Lanka have been advised to visit srilanka.travel\helloagain to learn about things they need to know to ensure that they have an amazing time that is ‘So Sri Lanka’, the tagline of Sri Lanka Tourism.
Tourists should have a confirmed booking in a safe and secure certified Level 1 hotel for their initial stay. These hotels are well trained and equipped to ensure that tourists have a safe yet an amazing time in Sri Lanka.
The Department said all visas must be applied online through the Immigration ETA portal. Before applying for a visa the visitor needs to have a confirmed hotel booking, pre-purchased PCR tests and a mandatory COVID-19 Insurance Cover by visiting visitsrilanka.gov.lk.
They have been advised to contact the Safe and Secure Level 1 hotel when making their booking. The hotel will issue a reference number which will be automatically checked with the passport during the application process of ETA.
The Department said this is a mandatory requirement and if not adhered to prior to applying the visa will not be approved and the visa fee will not be refunded.
It said under any circumstance ‘On arrival ETA’ will not be issued to any tourist and all airlines have been strictly advised to follow the guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) for landing permissions and check the ETA before boarding passengers to Sri Lanka.
The approval of ETA will be notified by an email to applicants who have obtained that ETA permit and will be allowed to land to Sri Lanka only for the purpose of tourism, subject to the Government health quarantine procedures and Immigration and Emigration Regulations.
Sri Lanka Tourism has come out with comprehensive safety protocols for the tourism industry based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
Among key highlights are tourists will not be subject to a minimum number of days of stay. This is a major breakthrough for the tourism industry stakeholders since earlier options considered were 14 days or seven days. However tourists will have to stay in COVID health and safety standards certified Level 1 hotels.
Other key features include requirement of PCR tests and payment ($ 40 per PCR test depending on the number of days of the stay – example pay for two PCR tests for seven days stay and three PCR tests if the travel exceeds seven days) when applying for a visa online and for insurance ($ 12) with one month cover worth $ 50,000.
Both mandatory PCR tests and insurance must be pre-purchased visiting visitsrilanka.gov.lk and these two and confirmation of a booking are key conditions for issuance of visa.
There are no restrictive quarantines required and currently no exceptions would be made for vaccinations taken and all safety protocols should be adhered to regardless.
All facilities of the hotel would be made available to the guests and tourists can visit approved tourist sites under the safety of a bio-bubble.
Tourists may arrive through charter flights, scheduled flights or private jets, at both BIA, which is certified as a safe airport by ACI airport health accreditation program and HIA in Mattala.
Arrival of tourists would be decided by the testing capacity of the private laboratories as determined by the Ministry of Health and Minister of Tourism jointly.
Dual citizens, spouses of foreign nationals and paid commercial passengers with foreign passports are allowed, following an adherence to the guidelines and protocols in place.
All flights bringing in tourists are required to consult the Civil Aviation Authority on the health protocols that need to be adhered to.
Special arrangements for the crew would be agreed upon in advance by the Civil Aviation and Airport Aviation Authority, according to the current health guidelines in place.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) will inform the details of arrivals to the Ministry of Health via the following emails and the local area Medical Officer prior to the arrival of the respective flights.
Upon issuing a visa, the details of the international traveller would be sent to the area Medical Officer of Health; and be updated accordingly until their arrival at the respective hotel.
Tourism mobile app ‘Visit Sri Lanka’ will be incorporated into the online visa application form in the due course and will be available on both the Play Store and Appstore. Travellers will be required to download the mobile app for coordination and facilitation purposes when available.
Prior to departure, travellers should undergo a PCR test from an accredited laboratory and obtain a negative result, approximately 96 hours before their flight. A Health Declaration Form (HDF) should also be submitted prior to boarding, on-board the flight or upon arrival.
