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Booster doses for tourism sector, aviation industry before end-November

10 Nov 2021

By Dinitha Rathnayake Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that the Covid-19 booster third dose is expected to be given to those engaged in the tourism and aviation sector before the end of this month. He emphasised that this would make Sri Lanka a safe haven for tourists, speaking at a meeting between French travel agencies and journalists at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris on 9 November. The meeting was organised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau with the aim of attracting more tourists to Sri Lanka this coming winter season. Nearly 100 French travel agencies and journalists participated in the event. Ranatunga stated that Sri Lanka is currently at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccination. As of 8 November, 71% of the total population of the country have received at least one dose, while 63% of the total population have so far received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. The Minister said that the launch of direct flights between SriLankan Airlines and French airlines between Sri Lanka and France will help boost the tourism industry of the two countries. Accordingly, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the French airlines are expected to launch a joint promotional programme to attract more French tourists to Sri Lanka this coming winter. French airlines launched direct flights between Sri Lanka and France from 5 November and operate three flights a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Minister said that discussions are underway with the French airlines to implement these direct flights in the coming summer. SriLankan Airlines also launched direct flights between Sri Lanka and France on 30 October, with three flights a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Minister said that SriLankan Airlines is also focusing on increasing the number of direct flights between France and Sri Lanka in the future. The Minister said that the SLTDA has implemented various programmes in the recent past to attract tourists, especially from France, and instructed them to expand such tourism promotion activities in France in the future. Since the opening of the country to tourists, more than 70,000 tourists have arrived in the country. The Minister pointed out that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry earned $ 130 million from January to October 2021. He hoped that nearly 200,000 tourists would visit Sri Lanka in the near future and expressed confidence that Sri Lanka’s tourism industry would recover next year, adding that Sri Lanka was ready to welcome tourists from all over the world.


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