There has been a lot of talk about Sri Lanka now being re-open to international tourism and many of you have you have asked us what the deal is, but it’s not that simple so we have compiled a list of FAQ’s taken straight from the Ministry of Tourism‘s mouth.
But first here are the main points to understand, with my summary, as of 24th January 2021:
- Tourists must stay at a certified ‘Safe and Secure’ Level 1 hotel for up to 14 days of their stay
- No minimum number of days is required for a stay
- No restrictive quarantine required
- Tourists can visit approved tourist sites under the safety of a bio-bubble
- Tourists must pay for PCR Tests (40 USD per PCR test depending on the number of days of the stay) when applying for visa online and for insurance (12 USD) with one month cover of 50,000 USD
- Currently no exceptions would be made for vaccinations taken; all safety protocols should be adhered to regardless
- Visitors from the UK will have a restriction
So essentially if you are from the UK, you should probably just ride the situation out until things loosen up a bit. If you’re from elsewhere and would like to enter Sri Lanka right now, you must stay in a government approved hotel (only 46 hotels in the whole country have been accredited FYI) for the first 14 days of your trip. You can not leave the hotel unless you are a part of a pre-planned tourist bubble tour to pre-approved tourist sites. After this 14 day period (which could be called a quarantine), you are free to do and go wherever you please. You can view the list of hotels here.
You must have COVID-19 insurance to enter Sri Lanka, this costs $12 per month and if you stay for up to one week you must pay for 2 PCR tests, a total cost of $80, if it is over one week you must pay for 3 PCR tests, a total of $120.
So if you are in desperate need of some Sri Lankan sunshine, have the cash to stay in one of the hotels mentioned above and are willing to live it up by the pool etc for up to 14 days on a proper package holiday vibe, then go for it. Reading the facts factually, it might sound quite restrictive but it is a step in the right direction for the country and things will loosen up as the weeks and this trial progresses. Sri Lanka is reopening its borders safely, with the welfare of its people as a priority.
It still leaves us unsure as to whether we can run our March / April flagship 4 week tour, but we have put dates up for May / June and will look into running tours all Summer. We are remaining positive. Take a look at the tours here, all of which can be booked with a £95 deposit, which is totally refundable, or you can move to a different tour at a later date.
Anyway, the FAQs are below and all of this information can be found here.