Ukrainian low-cost Carrier, SkyUp brought the first group of tourists to the island nation since March when the country halted foreign tourist arrivals country in order to contain the spread of COVID-19,
Flight PQ-555 from Kyiv, Ukraine landed at the Mattala Airport at 2.15 pm today with 185 persons including 11 crew members, under a pilot program resume foreign tourism activities in the country.
The tourists will be subjected to medical tests and for a quarantine period.
The tourists are expected to stay at seaside resorts in Bentota, Beruwala, and Koggala, Weeratunga told Silumina.
The government said that tourism activities will be carried out with minimum exposure to the local public.
Meanwhile, the country is expecting the second group of tourists also from Ukraine tomorrow (29th). The second group will include 215 tourists.
Depending on the success of the pilot, the government is expected to decide whether to keep its borders open for foreign tourists from mid-January onwards.
