Major airlines show increase in passenger loads to Sri Lanka

• SLAITO and OIOV believe on-arrival visa will further facilitate influx  
• SLTDA pushing to relax health guidelines to make  tourists feel more comfortable 

All major airlines are showing an increase in passenger loads to Sri Lanka following the government’s move to relax the entry requirements into the country.

The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and One Industry One Voice (OIOV) shared yesterday that major international airlines are witnessing an increased number of bookings for Sri Lanka, and the majority is from Central Europe.

Calling it great news for the local tourism sector that took a massive hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the associations expressed that the government making the visa approval process easier will further boost efforts taken to increase the influx of tourists into the country.

“We hope the government will open the on-arrival/online visa as it was prior to Covid-19 to facilitate the much needed tourists,” said the two associations in a brief statement yesterday.

At present, a number of international airlines, such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, and national carrier SriLankan Airlines are rolling out several promotional offers for the Sri Lanka route.

The increase in the interest in Sri Lanka among tourists across the world is observed after the Ministry of Health (MoH) removed the need for incoming passengers to undergo the on-arrival PCR test and the need to stay in quarantine and travel within the bio bubble, provided that the travellers test negative for Covid-19 and the PCR test carried out 72 hours prior departure.

Several attempts are also made by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to relax the health guideline so that tourists feel more welcome and comfortable during their travel, and one such effort is the pushing the MoH to remove the requirement of airline staff needing to wear the PPE kits in-flight.