• Tourism Minister calls on SLTDA to take all precautions to ensure safety of tourists
• Mandatory COVID insurance coverage revised upwards to $ 75,000 with same fee of $ 12
• Steps taken to fast-track setup of Tourist Police Units

Tourist arrivals have exceeded 11,500 in the first four days of February, despite the challenges emanating from the global COVID pandemic.

The Tourism Ministry said the highest daily arrival was recorded on 2 February with 3,335 tourists. With the arrival numbers (11,533) during the first four days of February added, the cumulative figure for 2022 is pushed to 93,862 – reinforcing the industry’s optimism. In a related development, the mandatory COVID insurance cover value has been increased to $ 75,000 to ensure safety of the travellers. However, there has been no change made to the fee of $ 12.

Previously, the insurance coverage was only for $ 50,000.

Sri Lanka revised down the tourist arrivals forecast for 2022 to 1.1 million from an earlier ambitious goal of luring 2.3 million, a move influenced by the surge in ‘Omicron’ variant in major source markets.

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has also instructed the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of tourists visiting the country.

Noting that an action plan is already in place, he urged the SLTDA to implement joint programs with Government agencies related to tourism zones and public transport services for tourists.

Steps have also been taken to fast-track setup of Tourist Police Units for the protection of travellers in key hotspots. Tourist Police Unit in Mount Lavinia and Unawatuna nearing completion, whilst another is being established in Mirissa.

 

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