Foreign Minister Amunugama says "no justification for the changing Travel Advisories"

Foreign Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, said that there was no justification for the Travel Advisories issued by a few countries, since there have been no incidents of violence or disruption in the country following the recent events. The Tourism sector has not been subject to any inconvenience.

The Minister made these observations when he met with the leading inbound tour operators, Senior Officials of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), representatives of the Sri Lankan Airlines and other leading foreign carriers to discuss the Travel Advisories issued recently. He said that the Government was fully committed to safeguarding and improving of the tourism industry.

Industry leaders   briefed the   Minister that in addition to regular flights,  TUI , one  of  the   world’s   leading  tour  operators, is  now scheduled to operate  03  Charter Flights to  Colombo  on   a weekly  basis  while  the TUI   Cruise Liner  is  also scheduled  to  use Sri Lanka as a Port of Call in   the  high  season. The  industry  leaders also  informed  that   Aeroflot has  announced     nonstop   direct  flights  from  Moscow  to   Colombo  from  28 October 2018  and  SWISS will  resume  its  direct  flights  Zurich – Colombo from 04 November 2018. Meanwhile   Lonely  Planet, one  of the   leading international travel  guide   publishers,  has   recently   named  Sri  Lanka  as   the world’s top  destination.   It was noted that presently there are around 4000 cricket fans from the UK in   Sri Lanka to follow the   English cricket team’s current tour. This was testimony to the peaceful environment prevailing in the country and tourists are enjoying uninterrupted access to tourist sites and facilities throughout the Island.

The Minister also informed that since the assumption of his present portfolio he has instructed all Heads of Sri Lanka Missions overseas to personally make representation to the authorities concerned in their countries of accreditation in order to remove the Travel Advisories, to be in keeping with the ground realities in Sri Lanka. They will also maintain regular interaction with the leading Travel Agents/ Outbound Tour Operators in their  respective capitals to brief them on the peaceful situation prevailing in the island with a view to promoting arrivals. The Minister said that he planned to make Tourism Promotion a main aspect of the Foreign Ministry’s work programme.

Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha and Senior Officials of the Ministry were present at the meeting.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Colombo

02 November 2018