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Sri Lanka assures tourists safety despite ongoing protests
08 Apr, 2022
Sri Lanka says the country remains safe and open for tourists and the?recent peaceful protests have not targeted tourists or tourist destinations.?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Sri Lanka continues to welcome travellers to the country and remains committed to provide all visitors with the utmost care and service.
“The recent peaceful protests have not targeted tourists or tourist destinations. All visitors to the country may travel freely throughout the country and all tourist destinations remain open,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that attention has been focused on the revision of the U.S. Travel Advisory on Sri Lanka as at 6 April 2022.
The Ministry recalled that since June 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka has remained at Level 3, and as such has not been newly introduced in the latest revision.
In addition, the language related to ?terrorism? was introduced following the Easter Sunday attacks and has stayed consistent since April 2019. It is understood that the reference to terrorism in the U.S. Travel Advisory is based on standard language included in U.S. Travel Advisories around the world where a risk of terrorism exists or has existed, and as such is not specific to Sri Lanka. The Ministry also understands that currently a U.S. Travel Advisory at Level 4 is applicable to many countries, whereas Sri Lanka is at Level 3.
The tourism industry in Sri Lanka is gradually emerging from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and as at 29 March 2022, tourist arrivals to the country stood at 280,026. (Colombo Gazette)
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