A minimum 5-night stay in Sri Lanka will be required for tourists from August, Sri Lanka Tourism said yesterday.
Sri Lanka is preparing to welcome travellers from across the world with safety guidelines and precautionary measures in place.
All nationalities and all types of travellers whether groups, families, individuals are welcome.
The Bandaranaike International Airport [BIA], Colombo Ratmalana Airport [RMA] and Mattala Rajapaksa Hambantota Airport [MRIA] will be operating for tourist arrivals from August 1 2020.
All travellers will require a valid visa which will be issued for 30 days and extendable for up to 6 months after arrival. Online visas can applied for via http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/
Further relaxation for long stay guests is currently under consideration, enabling tourists to be granted five-year multiple entry visas with maximum 6 months stay. A visa fee of US$100 will be charged.
Booking details at Certified Accommodation, itinerary in Sri Lanka, return ticket and proof of medical insurance will be required for the visa application.
Independent professional audits will be done to certify accommodation providers who will be listed on the Sri Lanka tourism website. Details of bookings made with Certified Accommodation providers are required for the visa applications.
A negative PCR test is required prior to boarding the flight and on arrival in Sri Lanka. The test should be no older than 72 hours prior to boarding.
On arrival in Sri Lanka the airport will have high intensity sanitation measures in place for all areas and staff.
There will not be quarantine on arrival unless symptoms are detected. A PCR test would be done on arrival at the airport.
Currently it takes 24 hours to receive the test results but the authorities are making changes to have results within 4-6 hours by August. In the event it is required to wait 24 hours for test results; tourists will be able to select a hotel for a one-night stay from Certified 4 or 5-star hotels in Colombo or Negombo until the test results are received.
A further test will be done 4-5 days after arrival by a mobile unit in coordination with the Certified Accommodation provider.
Travellers staying for more than 10 days will be required to take a third test during their stay. Sri Lanka Tourism said that while this may be inconvenient it is essential to safeguard everybody and provide peace of mind.
In case of a positive PCR result, quarantine in a designated hotel or hospitalisation will take place depending on the details of the case. Quarantine would usually be 14 to 21 days if symptoms are detected.
To ensure safety, tourists are required to arrange transportation in Sri Lanka prior to arrival, with the Certified Accommodation provider or travel agent. Use of public transport will not be encouraged.
All tourist sites will be open from the 1st August onwards with safety protocols and measures in place to ensure the wellbeing of our travellers. There will be no travel restrictions between districts for tourists. (Colombo Gazette)