Britain stands firm on Sri Lanka travel advisory amidst calls for reform

28 March 2024 07:46 am Views - 2490

Despite growing pressure to reform the travel Advisory on Sri Lanka, Britain on Tuesday said that its travel advice assessments are made by drawing on expert sources of information available to the government and that they 'continue to keep Sri Lanka travel advise under close review.'

“The safety of British people is the main factor when determining our travel advice for all countries, including Sri Lanka. Our advice is designed to help British people make informed decisions about foreign travel and remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks when travelling abroad,” Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State-Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said in UK Parliament.

He was responding to the question, whether the UK government has any plans to update the travel advice to Sri Lanka to reflect the security situation in that country.

“Our travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals. These assessments are made by drawing on expert sources of information available to the government including local knowledge from our embassies and information provided by the local authorities in each country. We will continue to keep Sri Lanka travel advice under close review,” the Minister of State-Foreign, Commonwealth stated.

In the recent past, leading tourism providers from UK and Sri Lanka have urged its Government to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice regarding the safety of Britons abroad.

During a recent debate in UK parliament, Lord Naseby has requested that the Travel Advisory be changed. As tourism plays a major role in the Sri Lankan economy.