A new year can only mean one thing for The Independent’s travel desk: a new list of dream destinations that we’re planning trips to. After years of pandemic-related restrictions, it’s hopefully the first year that travel should be broadly back to “normal”, with most countries having opened back up toContinue Reading
Sri Lanka, also known as the Emerald Isle, is blessed with nature’s bounty. While most travellers visit its seaside towns, a foray into the densely forested hills opens up another vista. Ella, surrounded by hills covered with forests and tea plantations, is quite the hidden gem. While hiking to theContinue Reading
Ihave a confession to make: the last time I visited Sri Lanka I took a Ziploc bag stuffed with Yorkshire teabags. Yes, you read that correctly. Yorkshire Tea, carefully transported to the country that gave the Brits their obsessive love of a cuppa. My time back then was spent inContinue Reading
Contradicting the statement issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism declaring new guidelines for inbound tourists, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Sri Lanka entry status quo remains unchanged. He said in a Twitter post that Ministry of Health is in real-time discussion with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and any statementContinue Reading
All incoming tourists to Sri Lanka are advised to possess a vaccination card and tourists who are not vaccinated, should submit a PCR report obtained 72 hours prior to arrival according to the Ministry of Tourism new Covid 19 protocol & procedures. The guidelines also said tourists will be guidedContinue Reading
Walkers Tours, a leading destination management company, is readying to welcome two cruises, MS Amera and MS Artania belonging to the Phoenix Reisen, Germany. The cruises carrying German nationals are expected to arrive this week and the third week of January. MS Amera, a mid-sized premium category passenger cruise vesselContinue Reading
Indian tourists accounted for 17% of all tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka in 2022, according to reports. Close to 120,000 tourists visited the island nation from India this year out of a total of 700,000. Russia was the second-largest source market with close to 87,000 tourists this year. The GovernmentContinue Reading
POLITICAL STABILITY: A new President, prime minister and key cabinet members have been appointed and are working collectively to address key issues in the country. Tailor-Made Sri Lanka and Maldives Holidays PROTESTS / SAFETY: The main protest site has been vacated after the change in government. There has neverContinue Reading
Ayurveda specialists in India are expecting a busier season for medical tourism as Sri Lanka, a major competitor in the field, struggles with tourism disruption on the back of an unprecedented unrest. Kairali Ayurvedic Group Executive Director Abhilash K. Rameshsaid: “What’s happening in Sri Lanka is unfortunate. We expect internationalContinue Reading
According to the Central Bank’s latest statistics, Sri Lanka’s earnings from tourism in the first eight months of 2022 have increased to $ 892.8 million (Rs. 246 billion). This is a significant increase compared to the previous year, as tourism earnings in the first eight months of 2021 only amountedContinue Reading
