26 August 2022 05:45 am
The government of Switzerland announced this week the relaxation of the travel advice to Sri Lanka, a move that could help the island nation welcome more visitors from that country for the upcoming winter season.
The previous warning against visiting the island nation has been eased for Swiss travellers with the improvement in the ground situation witnessed in recent weeks.
Mid-July the government of Switzerland advised its citizens to avoid all unnecessary trips to Sri Lanka, other than air transit via Bandaranaike International Airport. The decision came as state of emergency was imposed at the time.
With tensions in the country easing, Switzerland has followed the direction of other tourism source markets, such as France, giving the green light to enter the destination.
Switzerland is also a charter destination for Sri Lanka.
The move was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and One Industry One Voice.
In a joint statement released to the media, the associations said the easing of the travel advisory will help Swiss tour operators to promote Sri Lanka once again.
“Switzerland is an important market for us, especially for the winter season and the relaxation is timely,” the associations said.
Sri Lanka received no tourists from Switzerland for the month of August so far. However, during the first few months of the year, when tourism was picking up momentum before the economic and political crisis in the country spiraled out of control, interest from that market in destination Sri Lanka was improving.
For the 1 January to 23 August period, a total of 9,546 tourists from Switzerland visited Sri Lanka, provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.