Plans afoot to increase direct flights between SL and India

• Halted UL routes will resume soon to cater to growing demand
• 25 Indian bloggers currently in SL to create content 
• 76% of tourists visited SL from 1-18 Nov. were from India

Plans are in place to increase direct flights between India and Sri Lanka in the near future as interest in the island nation as a tourist destination from the neighbouring giant is on the rise, said the Ministry of Tourism yesterday.

While national carrier SriLankan Airlines operated over 100 flights a week to 11 major Indian cities prior to the 

COVID-19 pandemic, halted routes will resume soon to cater to the growing demand, the Ministry said in a statement yesterday. Of the 24,567 tourists who entered the country from 1 – 18 November, 18, 808 (76 percent) were from India, the ministry shared.

In an effort to increase tourism traffic generated from India, the Tourism Ministry and Sri Lanka Tourism have planned to bring in 50 active bloggers to experience Sri Lanka, where in turn they are expected to create content and promote the destination. 

The first batch of Indian bloggers, consisting of 25 individuals, arrived in the country on Friday (19).

The group also met with Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga where they received a firsthand brief on Sri Lanka Tourism’s future plans.