Categories: Articles

LNP – Sri Lanka-India travel bubble delayed

The Hindu – Sri Lanka has decided to postpone launching the proposed “travel bubble” with India, in the wake of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in India, officials at the Ministry of Tourism here said.

“We are just postponing the bubble, this is not a cancellation. When things get better in India, we look forward to launching the travel bubble,” an official at the Ministry told The Hindu. Sri Lanka has been preparing to open up the country for tourists in phases as earnings from the sector, a crucial foreign exchange earner, fell steeply in the pandemic year.

Special flights
Less than two weeks ago, the Civil Aviation Ministry in India announced setting up a “bilateral air bubble” arrangement with Sri Lanka for operation of special international passenger flights between the two countries.

According to official sources, New Delhi had also conveyed to Colombo its interest in welcoming an inaugural flight from Sri Lanka to the Kushinagar airport in Uttar Pradesh that was recognised as an international airport last year.

The two governments have discussed ways to enhance connectivity with the airport to help Buddhist pilgrims in Sri Lanka visit important religious sites in India. “Once the pandemic situation eases, we will be able to finalise that,” the official said.

Tourist source
India accounts for one of the highest sources of tourists in Sri Lanka. Following the virus outbreak in March last year, Sri Lanka closed its borders and reopened it only in December 2020, stipulating protocols for on-arrival testing, quarantine and travel within the country. Witnessing a gradual increase in the last four months, Sri Lanka recorded 4,581 tourists from select countries in March 2021. Just before the pandemic hit, Sri Lanka received 2,28,434 tourists in January 2020 and the highest percentage of arrivals was from India, at 18 %.

Sri Lanka has over 3,000 active cases of Covid-19, after reporting nearly 1 lakh cases in total, and 620 fatalities. Public health experts have cautioned the public about a possible new wave of infections.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, had planned to restart operations to several Indian cities, to create the travel bubble. With the surge in infections in India, the plans have been put on hold for now, a spokesman said.

AddThis Website Tools
Tyronne Jayamanne

Recent Posts

LNP – Ranil denies media reports on his UK visit

The office of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe denied media reports pertaining to his visit to…

13 hours ago

LNP – Krrish Project: Colombo HC adjourns case against Namal Rajapaksa

The Colombo High Court has ordered the re-convening of the case filed by the Attorney…

13 hours ago

LNP – 500,000 students and 150,000 teachers to benefit from World Bank education funding

An estimated 500,000 students and 150,000 teachers across Sri Lanka are set to benefit from…

13 hours ago

Police warn of rising social media-based financial scams targeting Sri Lankans

Sri Lanka Police has issued a public warning following a surge in financial crimes targeting…

13 hours ago

LNP – Former Chairman of Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corp. arrested

The former Chairman of the Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation (CFHC), Upali Liyanage, has been arrested…

13 hours ago

LNP – Ex-SriLankan Airlines chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe arrested

Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate…

13 hours ago