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Tourist sightseeing permitted during 10-day lockdown

23 Aug 2021

 
  • Ministry informs venues to allow entry for tourists
  • Sends letters as unable to issue circulars
  • Parks including Yala continue operations
  BY Cassendra Doole Tourists in Sri Lanka are allowed to travel unrestricted in spite of the 10-day lockdown imposed by the government due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism told The Morning Business.  Speaking to The Morning Business, Ministry of Tourism Secretary S. Hettiarachchi said that all the relevant authorities have been informed to allow tourists permission to travel with unrestricted access in accordance with a letter issued by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).  “Tourists are allowed outside and all relevant authorities have been informed of this. Tourists will not face any restrictions except the ones already imposed such as health guidelines, for their own safety as well as the safety of those around them,” Hettiarachchi said, adding “I have informed the Department of Wildlife and other relevant areas of tourism to open their tourist attractions such as Yala National Park for tourists to continue on in their respective tours.”  Due to the time constraints, Hettiarachchi said the Ministry was not able to send out official circulars, but had made the necessary directions for the operations to continue.  “Because we do not have time to issue official circulars at the moment, I have prepared a letter and have distributed it among the relevant authorities and officials such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the DG etc. And in addition, I have also submitted the DGHS letter and the IGP’s letter where they said tourism is allowed to function for further clarification.”  Accordingly, Hettiarachchi added that all relevant parties have agreed to accept tourists at a reasonable capacity as they will be operating with limited staff.  “They agreed even amidst difficulty and the tourists can travel according to their itineraries. Obviously, it will not operate at 100% capacity but they will operate with limited capacity.”  Hettiarachchi further stated that around 300 to 400 tourists arrive per day, however, they will all not be heading to the same tourist destinations. Thus, the relevant destinations can operate safely with limited capacity.  “Even though 300 to 400 tourists are arriving per day, they don’t all want to go to the same place. Some are interested in the coastal areas and others are interested in the up country, so this can be managed because it will be very limited.”  Meanwhile, since the borders are to remain open even during lockdown, airports and travel services will be considered under essential services and the tourism industry will continue to operate in accordance with the updated guidelines issued by the Health Services Director General. Tourist sector providers can use their official identity cards as a pass to report to work.  The Ministry of Tourism stated that they are working towards the sustenance of the tourism industry by bringing in more tourists to the country.  Recently, travellers from India, and those who had a recent travel history to India, were banned from entering the island after a swift spread of the Delta variant in India amidst fears of possible importation of the cases with said variant into Sri Lanka. However, according to the Ministry of Tourism other tourists are allowed in.  The tourism sector is one of the main industries that struggled the most due to the pandemic, especially since the recovery period of the industry was very low in comparison to other industries following the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the industry further suffered setbacks.


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