Photo Credit: Mariana Proença
Sri Lanka has announced that the country will be re-opening its borders from the first of August.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, all types of travelers and all nationalities are welcome to the country. Moreover, Bandaranaike International Airport [BIA], Colombo Ratmalana Airport [RMA], and Mattala Rajapaksa Hambantota Airport [MRIA] will be operating for tourist arrivals.
All tourists are required to have a valid visa which will be issued for 30-days and extendable for up to 6 months after arrival. The visa fee is US$100, and long stay guests can enable multiple entry visa for 5 years with maximum 6 months stay. A minimum 5-night stay in Sri Lanka is also a requirement to enter the country.
The authorities have implemented safety guidelines and measures to ensure the safety of the tourists. Although there is no quarantine requirement on arrival unless detection of symptoms, all visitors must take the COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours prior to boarding the flight and landing in Sri Lanka.
If visitors show any symptoms, a free test will be given at the airport on arrival and will receive results within 4-6 hours, and if negative authorities will release them to go on with their holiday. The second test will be taken by a mobile unit after 4 to 5 days after. If the stay is more than 10 days, a third test is required to ensure and safeguard the health of the visitors and Sri Lankans.
There are no travel restrictions between districts and all tourism sites will be open from the first of August with safety protocols. However, tourists are not allowed to use public transportation. Moreover, all the extra safety precautions for the tourists are available in the Sri Lanka tourism site.
Sri Lanka has been able to manage the spread of the virus. No active community clusters have been detected in the last 30 days within the country.
