TravTalk India Online Magazine
Sri Lanka welcomes fully vaccinated travellers with the second shot taken at least 14 days before the trip, with no quarantine for those who test COVID negative on arrival in Sri Lanka. All arriving travellers will have to go through a mandatory PCR test that will be conducted on arrival.
Janice Alyosius
To strengthen ongoing operations, SriLankan Airlines introduced a host of frequency enhancements out of key Indian cities into Colombo, effective September 1, 2021.
In an interview with DimuthuTennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution, SriLankan Airlines, said, “The airline has resumed services between Colombo and the Indian points; Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum and Cochin with flights once a week, whilst Hyderabad and New Delhi will be connected to Colombo with twice-weekly flights”.
Further, the Airlines’ operations out of Chennai and Mumbai has been expanded up to five times a week whilst its Bangalore-Colombo services have been enhanced to three times a week.
Countries allowed traveling to Sri Lanka
When asked about the countries that are allowed to enter, he said that Sri Lanka currently accepts travellers from all countries except South American Countries as well as a few South African countries (namely South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Travel procedures for people flying to Sri Lanka
Dimuthu said, “Considering the Covid scenario in the subcontinent, all travellers arriving in Sri Lanka from India & otherwise will have to go through a mandatory PCR test that will be conducted on arrival”.
He also added that Sri Lanka is accepting fully vaccinated travellers with the second shot taken at least 14 days before the tripand there will be no quarantine for those who test COVID negative on arrival in Sri Lanka. One needs to have a valid tourist visa which must be applied online. Also a hotel booking & health insurance is mandatory along with a negative PCR test in English done within 72 hours prior to embarkation.
Exemptions from quarantine measures
Dimuthu mentioned that the Travelers who are not vaccinated or are partially vaccinatedor fully vaccinated travellers who departed from the originating country within 14 days of receiving the final dose will be considered as unvaccinated travelers. Such travellers will have to adhere to the Tourist Bubble Protocol where they will need to stay at a Certified Safe and Secure L1 hotels for the first 15 days of the visit if found negative after the on-arrival PCR test.
Upon on-arrival PCR being negative, travelers are allowed to stay at any number of the many Certified Safe and Secure L1 hotels and are permitted to use all facilities of the hotel. They are also allowed to visit all the approved tourist sites in the bio bubble and hence would still be able to experience most of Sri Lanka’s hospitality experiences and all it has to offer to a tourist. Dimuthu said that SriLankan Airlines brings to India the invitation to explore Sri Lanka and assured the warmth and hospitality that will be extended onboard will continue right through the journey of exploring the destination, Sri Lanka. The country is open and all global protocols like social distancing, Covid tests etc. are being strictly followed.
“We recently introduced ‘buy one get one free’ offer for Indian travellers to visit Sri Lanka in the months to come. The offer is valid for all the seating categories and is applicable to the bookings made for flights between India & Colombo for leisure travel. This offer will be valid on bookings made until 31st October 2021”. Said Dimuthu.
