Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Sunday Nov 24, 2024
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In a bid to collect data of all international tourists, businessmen and expatriates engaged in the sector, Sri Lanka Tourism calls on the visitors to register on its newly launched ‘Tourist and Expatriate Support Centre’ website on www.register.sltda.gov.lk
The website provides live updates on COVID-19 pandemic, essential travel information and other assistance.
“COVID-19 was a severe blow to the tourism industry, which was still recovering after the Easter Sunday attacks last April. On 12 March, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, there were 76,224 foreign travellers in Sri Lanka. Immediately, a 24/7 call centre was set up to assist tourists, and with transportation issues in times of curfew, outbound flight tickets were allowed to be used as curfew passes to reach the airport. Sri Lanka Tourism is also liaising with the Foreign Ministry, embassies, airport authorities, and airlines to facilitate safe departures,” Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said in a statement.
According to the Immigration Department as of Monday, there were 11,389 tourists in the country.
She further said there was no mechanism of tracking tourists in Sri Lanka apart from the immigration system, which provides basic information of travellers, and this registration will allow Sri Lanka Tourism to reach out and provide assistance during emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak. In the long term, this will also serve as a database of visiting international tourists, businessmen and expatriates in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Tourism reached out to ICTA for support, and under their leadership, the website was developed by TekGeeks Ltd. – an International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sri Lanka funded software services provider based in Sri Lanka specialising in software engineering, digital marketing and creative services.
