UK’s Daily Mail touts Sri Lanka to holidaymakers

Destination Sri Lanka came under fresh spotlight this week, with one of its most prominent tourist traffic generators affirming the island nation is open, safe and welcoming to international travellers.

Daily Mail, the highest circulated daily paper in the UK, featured Sri Lanka as an attractive and must-visit destination while highlighting that the crisis situation that spiralled towards the end of May is no longer prevalent.
“Those fears appear to have been overstated and short-lived,” wrote Mary Wales, a writer for the Daily Mail, who spent two weeks touring Sri Lanka.

The country was identified as a friendly, easily accessible and economical destination for holidaymakers.

“The friendliness is perhaps even more evident than before the corrupt government began to destroy the economy,” the article highlighted.

Sri Lanka is also easier to travel to when compared with its regional peers, as digital visas can be obtained within 36 hours of application.

“It is certainly easier to come here compared with India, where the UK citizens now need three weeks and must turn up in person at a consulate to get a tourist visa,” Wales wrote. 

However, despite the improvement in the country’s overall economic and political situation, the local tourism sector is still facing the consequences that arose from the crisis that resulted in tourism source markets issuing travel advisories against visiting the island nation.

Sri Lankan authorities spent the recent months aggressively advocating for governments of leading tourist traffic generators to relax the advisories.

With the removal of the same, Sri Lanka is witnessing an increase in tourist arrivals to the country, which in turn has improved bookings. Yet, hotel occupancies still remain at low levels.

“Sri Lanka needs tourism like never before. Its people are suffering. The good news is that the Foreign Office no longer advises against visiting this beautiful country and Sri Lanka has dropped all its Covid-19 restrictions for arrivals from overseas,” the Daily Mail said while asserting that it advises holidaymakers to visit the island nation sooner than later.