Sri Lanka hoteliers welcome request to ease tourist entry requirements

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Sri Lanka hoteliers welcome request to ease tourist entry requirements

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Update Time : Saturday, September 11, 2021
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(190407) -- COLOMBO, April 7, 2019 (Xinhua) -- A stilt fisherman is seen at a beach in Galle, Sri Lanka, April 7, 2019. Stilt fishing is a method of fishing unique to the island country of Sri Lanka. Local fishermen sit on a crossbar called "petta", which is tied to a vertical pole driven into the sand a few meters offshore. From that position, a fisherman will cast his rod and wait until a fish takes the bait. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) has welcomed a request by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to ease entry requirements for foreigners in a bid to revive the country’s Covid-19 battered tourism industry, local media reported on Friday.

“Subsequent to the Easter Sunday attacks, Sri Lanka tourism has lost out on three winter seasons, which has had a devastating impact on the industry and the local economy. We fear the industry will not be able to sustain a fourth winter season if globally-recognised entry protocol is not implemented,” Xinhua news agency quoted THASL as saying in a report by the Daily FT newspaper.

The THASL said that Sri Lanka is in the middle of a successful vaccination drive, reports IANS.

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s largest foreign currency earners, raking in between $3 to $4 billion per year.