Sri Lanka’s government eyes to re-open the country for foreign travelers from next month with a proposal to issue six-month visas for tourists instead of the current one-month visas targeting long-term tourists.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that the government is discussing a new set of guidelines that had been prepared by the COVID-19 Clinical Management Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health and Sri Lanka’s Tourism authorities.
As per guidelines, a minimum stay of 14 days in Sri Lanka would be made mandatory and only visitors with the pre-booked and pre-paid booking for a Level 1 hotel for the first seven days and thereafter the next seven days in a Level 1 or 2 hotel certified as safe and secure accommodation would be granted visas.
In addition to the visa fee, the cost for three PCR and or antigen tests would be levied from each traveler.
The antigen and or PCR test is also proposed to be conducted on arrival and another test within five to seven days after arrival.
It is also mandatory that all international visitors have evidence of a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival.
Sri Lanka closed its Airports for foreign travelers last March