Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up by 7.0 percent in February 2019

Mar 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 7.0 percent in February 2019 compared to the same period last year, the data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.

The month recorded 252,033 tourists arriving in the country compared to the 235,618 arrived in February 2018.

India, United Kingdom, China, France and Germany were Sri Lanka's top five international tourist generating markets in the month of February this year.

India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka with 13% of the total traffic received in February 2019. United Kingdom accounted for 12% of the total traffic; while China, France and Germany accounted for 11%, 7% and 7% respectively.

Arrivals from North America rose 61.7 percent to 16,280 in February and the arrivals from US rose 61.7 percent to 9,678 during the month while arrivals from Canada increased 61.8 percent.

Tourist arrivals from Europe increased by 11.4 percent with the arrival of 135,934 tourists. Most of the tourists came from UK (29,750), followed by France (17,295), Germany (17,268), and Russian Federation (13,008).

Tourist arrivals from Middle East declined by 5.2 percent with the arrival of 3,691 visitors compared to the 3,894 arrived in February 2018.

Tourist arrivals from Asia & Pacific declined by 3.8 percent with 94,058 arriving in the island. Tourist arrivals from India declined by 1.9 percent with 32,286 visitors arriving while arrivals from China fell by 22.0 percent to record 28,039 arrivals.

Arrivals from Australia recorded 54.8 percent increase with 8,810 visitors entering the country in February 2019.

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Sri Lanka will grant free visas to tourists

Sri Lanka will grant free visas to tourists from key markets like the United Kingdom, Europe and Asian Buddhist countries like Thailand for six months from 1 April 2019 to encourage visits during months when arrivals usually slump.

The government information office said in a statement the Cabinet of Ministers had approved the proposal by John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wild Life and Christian Religious Affairs this week.

Free visas will be given to tourists from Thailand, United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Canada, United States of America, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and countries of the European Union, it said.

The move aims to encourage visits during key Buddhist festivals like Vesak and Poson during this period.

(COLOMBO, February 27, 2019-SB)

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Tourism industry grows by 2.2% in January

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka shows that tourism earnings have increased by 2.2% in January 2019.

The data reveals the country earned nearly USD 458.4mn in January this year, compared to USD 448.5mn during January last year(2018).

Sri Lanka welcomed nearly 244,239 tourists in January 2019, indicating an increase of 2.2% from last year’s 238,924.

In 2019, the Sri Lankan tourism industry expects to attract more than 3 mn foreign tourists as Sri Lanka is ranked number 1 destination to visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet.

To achieve above-mentioned target Sri Lanka needs a growth rate of 28.5% on average. However, the current growth rate is at 2.2%.

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sl Tourism to streamline promotion activities

Sri Lanka Tourism has kick started their promotional campaign for 2019 and around 15% of the budget has already been exhausted so far, said Director, Marketing at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Madubhani Perera. The total budget for 2019 is around Rs. 6 billion.

She said that most of the promotion budget was invested to participate in international fairs in 2019. Perera said that last year the sum allocated for tourism Promotion was around Rs. 5 billion but only around 75% of it was used.

Meanwhile Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Affairs, John Amaratunga said that a proposal has been made to the cabinet to offer Visa on Arrival to tourists from Thailand.

“I am returning from an event in Thailand and their tourists are keen to visit Sri Lanka. Thai nationals are offered free visa on arrival to travel within the ASIAN region. I proposed to the cabinet to offer similar facility for them when visiting Sri Lanka.”

The Minister said that though they were targeting 3 million arrivals for 2019, if there were no political issues in Sri Lanka, this target can reach up to 3.1 million. He said that already there is a 2.2% arrival growth in January as against the previous year. 

Speaking at an event jointly organized by Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators and Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) the Minister said that this year Sri Lanka will play host to many MICE events and the biggest would be the United Nations event in March where over 3,000 delegates would participate.

He however said that successive governments have not taken serious measures to increase capacity at the Colombo airport and this has put a check on many new budget airlines that want to fly to Sri Lanka.

“There is a huge congestion at the immigration counters and steps should be taken to offer one separate lane for Sri Lankans which would speed up matters at Customs,” he said.

The Minister also said that two former Vice Presidents of Sri Lankan Tourism Promotions Bauru, Nilmin Nanayakkara and Mervyn Fernandopulle were exonerated of all charges and this proves that the judiciary is impartial.

“Both of them did not make any decisions or even take any favors while serving in the SLTBP. They merely placed their signatures on Board decisions.”

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China offers more facilities to draw Sri Lankan tourists

China is offering more facilities to draw Sri Lankan tourists, China’s state owned Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Chief of Consular Department of Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Wang Keqi briefed local travel agents on the different visa procedures in order to facilitate more tourists to visit China.

According to statistics available at the Chinese Tourism Academy, over 60,000 Sri Lankans visited China in 2016.

A forum was held in Colombo on Saturday to introduce to Sri Lankan travelers tourism services and attractive destinations in China.

In a forum conducted for Sri Lanka’s leading travel agents, organized jointly by China’s national air carrier Air China and the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, Air China said it hoped to provide better services for its travelers between Colombo and Chinese cities in order to increase the number of Sri Lankan tourists.

Some of these facilities include enhanced leg space in all its air buses, more localized Sri Lankan meals and luxurious facilities for its business class travelers.

Emily Liu, General Manager of Air China, Colombo Office, addressing the forum said that since Air China entered the Sri Lankan market three years ago, traffic between Colombo and Chinese cities had increased due to the airline’s promotions and services.

However she said many parts of China still remained unexplored for Sri Lankan tourists and they hoped to increase the numbers.

“We hope to introduce Sri Lankan travel agents to other destinations other than Beijing and Shanghai so that they can promote it among Sri Lankan tourists.

China is today one of the largest economies in the world, which has a rich heritage and a history dating back to many centuries. With its modernized culture in recent years, it has a lot to offer for Sri Lankan tourists and traders,” Liu said. (Colombo Gazette)

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how sri lanka is fast becoming a popular holiday destination for 2017

British passport holders will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa before they can enter Sri Lanka. You can obtain a short stay tourist visa if the purpose of your visit is leisure including sightseeing, visiting friends and family, medical treatment, participating in sporting events or competitions and activities relating cultural performances. There are several types of ETA short stay visa's a UK citizen can apply for. The first is the standard 30 day visa, which allows you single entry into the country. Visitors can also opt for a double entry 30 day visa.

 

Although you can obtain a visa upon arrival in Sri Lanka, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise getting this prior to departure to prevent any delays when you arrive. According to the FCO, if you overstay your visa you could face a fine, be detained or deported. If you have obtained a 30 day visa, this can be extended whilst you are over there. In order for your visa application to be approved your passport will need to be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive in Sri Lanka. And according to Sri Lankan authorities, any false or misleading statements on your visa application could mean you are denied entry into the country permanently.

                      

Brits will need to apply for an ETA visa before they head to Sri Lanka

However, obtaining an ETA does not necessarily guarantee you will be allowed to enter the country - this will be at the discretion of the immigration officers when you pass through customs.

You could be denied entry upon arrival into Sri Lanka if you have the following items in your possession:

• Dangerous drugs
• Narcotic substances
• Pornographic or séditions material
• Any items that ridicule a religious belief

The following items are restricted and you will be denied entry into Sri Lanka if you have not got a permit, which must be obtained before travel:

• Fire arms, ammunition, explosives and weapons
• Medication other than for personal use
• Goods for commercial or trade purposes except for samples
• Plants, fruits, birds and bird products

 

Tourists are forbidden to be in a picture with a historic monument in Sri Lanka

Items such as cameras, laptops and iPads, are allowed but must be declared on arrival.

Foreign currency more than US$10,000 (£8,093) must also be declared upon arrival.

Holidaymakers heading to Sri Lanka should be warned that they can only photograph the ancient monuments if they have purchased a permit to do so from the Central Cultural Fund, which has offices in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Kandy.

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sri lanka electronic travel authorization

Srilanka is one of the best top tourist destination place with awesome landscapes, antiquated sanctuaries, and entrancing Buddha statues. To visit the place apply for Srilanka ETA visa by filling the application form online and the visa will be sent to you by means of email. The eTA Sri Lanka visa is accessible for tourists from India and most part of Europe.

To apply for visa click here 

Elephant Orphanage - Pinnawala Sri Lanka

On your way to Sri Lanka's kingdom in the hills a home for the majestic mammal is present and those are the great giant elephants. The road to the orphanage is covered in trees and shrubs, giving the area a jungle look like atmosphere, suitable for all indigenous Sri Lankan elephant. Most elephant species are now extinct or dead and the orphanage in Sri Lanka is highly acclaimed the world over for its commitment to the preservation of these species. Earlier Pinnawala is a village but elephants like to stay over there therefore it is famous for orphanage of elephants. Compare to now earlier there were different types of elephants and their species. Sri Lanka Pinnawala has the largest flock of captive elephants in the world. In 2011, there were 88 elephants as per counted, including in them 39 were male elephants and 49 were female elephants from last 3 generations, these creatures are living in Pinnawala. To know more about these big giant creatures every year from different countries people like to travel more. If you too are planning then go for your Sri Lanka ETA visa.

 As Sri Lanka is an Asian country Asian culture recognizes elephants as intelligent, emotional and to possess an exquisite memory. They play nicely a pivotal role in Sri Lankan traditions processions, being a part of ceremonies and cultural festivals. A number of fancily decorated and highly adorned elephants are a definite inclusion in the renowned 'Kandy Perahera' and other religious processions or cultural activities celebrated in the country. The orphanage is administered by the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka Authorities which also functions as a breeding ground for the large land mammal. The baby elephants which are found in the jungles are also care by the orphaned people. These baby elephants are taken under their orphanage caring wing and protected well. The elephants are allowed to roam free in the spacious grounds of the orphanage and are well feed and cared for by the mahouts and volunteers. Large quantities of green manure, coconut leaves, tamarind, a local palm kitul leaves, jak fruit, maize and rice bran are well fed to them in their stalls. Both local and foreign guests enjoy interacting with these friendly animals. These elephants gracefully ramble to the banks of the Maha Oya River twice in a day, to quench their thirst and bathe. It becomes a heavenly habitat for the descendants of the mammoth even though it is not quite the same all year because it is their natural life cycle.

 Being one of the foremost elephant conservation projects in our today's article, a visit to this tiny island must be coupled with a visit to the orphanage. Sri Lanka travel agencies are now breeze with the emergence of Sri Lanka car rental services. If you want to know more about this place you can visit to our site ETA Visa Sri Lanka offering Sri Lanka visa online.