Business
Sri Lanka Tourism gears up to welcome international visitors
As Sri Lanka opens its doors to the world once again; Sri Lanka Tourism has pulled out all the stops, ensuring that every precautionary measure has been set in place to make the island getaway as safe, secure and serene as possible for the visitors. In this regard Sri Lanka Tourism has published ‘Safety Protocols’ to be followed by the tourism industry stakeholders and visitors. These protocols were issued by the Ministry of Health and adopted by Sri Lanka Tourism after a thorough analysis of the situation and following multiple consultations with all relevant stakeholders and health professionals to ensure a smooth transition to begin operations in the midst of this new normal.
As per the safety protocols published Sri Lanka does not require a minimum number of days to stay. i.e. visitors to the island can stay even 3 to 4 days. Also offers ‘Quarantine free’ visitor experience where the visitors are allowed to enjoy all facilities in their respective hotels including the swimming pools, spas, gym etc. However the only requirement put in place for the safety of the traveller, tourism stakeholders and Sri Lankan community is the need for the travellers to stay at a ‘Safe and Secure’ certified, Level 1 hotel or hotels in the initial 14 days of their stay. This ensures the creation of a bio-bubble for the international visitors assuring the safety of the local communities, employees of the industry and the visitors to the industry. The respective hotels and accommodation providers along with the travel agents and tour operators will be entrusted to ensure that visitors don’t break the bubble of safety.
‘Safe & Secure’ certified hotel
These are hotels or accommodation providers who comply with the COVID-19 Health Protocols and the Tourism Operational Guidelines (visit srilanka.travel for details of the Tourism Operational Guidelines issued). The hotels have been subjected to an audit by an independent audit firm and will be continually assessed. The ‘Safe & Secure’ certificate is issued with a QR code unique to each certified hotel. By scanning the QR code using a smartphone, visitors can not only check the key information of the certified hotel but also immediately report to Sri Lanka Tourism of any violations related to the guideline procedures with photo evidence. Sri Lanka Tourism believes this certification will serve as a mark of trust, safety and assurance to all international guests. Hotels with the certification are encouraged to display the certificate with the QR code that can be easily accessed by all guests.
‘Safe & Secure’ certified Level 1 hotel
From all the ‘Safe & Secure’ certified hotels, these are the accommodation service providers who will provide accommodation services exclusively for international tourists during the first 14 days of their stay. The level 1 hotels cannot accept bookings from locals and also are not allowed to hold any events or banquet functions for locals. International travellers are allowed to stay in any number of ‘Safe & Secure’ Certified Level 1 hotels during the initial 14 days of their stay. Visit srilanka.travel/helloagain for the complete list of Level 1 hotels.
As Sri Lanka opens its borders for international visitors, it will be mandatory for them to have a pre-booking at a ‘Safe & Secure’ Certified Level 1 hotel.
Process of applying for visa for international travellers
Visitors planning to visit Sri Lanka must apply for their visas online through the Immigration ETA portal (www.eta.gov.lk). Before applying for visa, potential visitors are required to have a confirmed hotel booking, pre-purchased PCR tests and a mandatory COVID-19 insurance cover.
The cost per PCR test will be $ 40 and pre-purchase PCR tests depending on the number of days of stay (eg: pay for 2 PCR tests for 7 days stay and 3 PCR tests if the travel exceeds 7 days). Mandatory COVID-19 insurance cover from People’s Insurance PLC will cost $ 12 for a policy of $ 50,000 for a period of one month. Visitors are advised by Sri Lanka Tourism to contact their ‘Safe and Secure Level 1’ hotel or travel agent when making their booking. Upon the payment of the PCR tests and insurance premium, the hotel will issue a reference number which the visitors need to include in their visa form under the section ‘contact details’. There you will be asked for ‘address in Sri Lanka’ under which you need to indicate your hotel name, address and the reference number issued by the hotel confirming the payment for mandatory PCR and insurance premium.
Sri Lanka Tourism has made it mandatory for the hotels to provide confirmed booking number (reference number) only after collecting funds for necessary PCR tests ($ 40 per PCR test and number of PCR tests depends on the duration of stay) and Insurance premium of $12 for a cover of $50,000 for one month.
Going forward the visa process will be directed through the Sri Lanka Tourism’s mobile app; ‘Visit Sri Lanka’.
PCR testing for International visitors
All visitors, prior to boarding, will have to carry a negative PCR test result from an accredited laboratory 96 hours before their departure. This report will be checked at the respective airport (BIA or Mattala). The first of the prepaid PCR tests would be carried out on-arrival at the guest’s hotel; prior to check-in. The second PCR test would be conducted 5-7 days after, or if any symptoms should develop before. If a test should result as positive, initial isolation would be accommodated at the hotel; and if necessary, transfers to a private hospital or a designated hotel to be quarantined; would be arranged. Costs to be covered via your COVID-19 insurance, already paid for at the time of visa issuance. Currently no exceptions are made for vaccinations taken; all safety protocols should be adhered to regardless.
Visiting sites and attractions
Sri Lanka Tourism with the tourism industry has created a bio-bubble for international visitors to explore multiple sites and attractions in Sri Lanka: This include places such as, Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Yala, Udawalawe, Kaudulla and Wilpaththu National Parks, Mirissa Whale Watching, Sigiriya Fortress, Anuradhapura (excluding ‘Sri Maha Bodhiya’) and Polonnaruwa to name a few. (Visit srilanka.travel/helloagain for complete list of approved sites).
Connecting with Sri Lanka Tourism for updates
Sri Lanka Tourism will take every possible step to provide the international visitors to the paradise island an amazing time while ensuring their safety, providing a safe and secure operational environment for the service providers of the tourism industry and ensuring that local communities are protected and secured. All information related to the re-opening for international travel are listed on srilanka.travel/helloagain along with important notices to the industry. Thus Sri Lanka Tourism invites all international travellers, industry stakeholders to connect with its social media and official channels to obtain timely, authentic information.
Business
A sustained wave of Indian assistance to Sri Lanka showcases defining shift in developmental diplomacy
By Sanath Nanayakkare
An evolving approach to regional diplomacy was brought into sharp focus with the recent foundation-laying ceremony for the Moragahakanda Bridge in Matale.
Jointly launched by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake, this 175-metre span is far more than a routine civil engineering project. It serves as the physical manifestation of a broader USD 450 million reconstruction package deployed by India in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which severely fractured the island’s transport arteries.
Foreign aid is too often discussed in cold, macroeconomic abstractions. Yet, every so often, a consistent pattern of targeted assistance alters the landscape of bilateral relations, offering a clear window into how regional partnerships evolve out of necessity and goodwill.
Across the country today, a remarkable narrative of multi-layered cooperation is unfolding.
From critical post-disaster infrastructure and maritime routes to grassroots agricultural uplift and institutional capacity-building, India’s developmental footprint is shifting unmistakably toward an organic, people-centric model of shared resilience.
What distinguishes this latest wave of assistance is its deliberate pivot from emergency support to permanent, climate-resilient transformation. When Cyclone Ditwah initially paralysed regional connectivity, India’s immediate response was marked by the rapid deployment of temporary Bailey bridges.
Today, that swift humanitarian intervention has matured into a structural blueprint: the Moragahakanda project stands as the vanguard of 13 permanent bridges being built across Sri Lanka’s provinces by IRCON International Limited, complemented by upcoming railway upgrades and modern signaling systems backed by a USD 250 million Line of Credit.
The true signature of this diplomatic shift lies in its breadth, operating simultaneously across multiple tiers of society:
Institutional Governance: Delegations of Sri Lankan parliamentarians and senior administrative officers regularly travel to India to study public policy frameworks, legislative systems, and administrative practices.
Economic Lifelines: Financial mechanisms, such as viability gap funding for the Nagapattinam-to-Kankesanthurai passenger ferry service, continue to shrink geographical distances, reviving coastal commerce and tourism.
Grassroots Empowerment: Specialised capacity-building programmes tailored for local stakeholders – ranging from state officials to rural dairy farmers -ensure that development reaches deep into the island’s hinterlands.
By aligning immediate disaster relief with long-term infrastructure, institutional capacity, and human capital, India and Sri Lanka are demonstrating how neighbours can build safer, more connected futures together, grounded firmly in mutual respect and tangible progress.
By Ifham Nizam
The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) yesterday urged visitors to the Colombo International Book Fair to bring reusable bags to carry their purchases, as part of a drive to reduce single-use plastic waste at the event.
CEA Director General R. S. P. Kapila Rajapaksha said large quantities of plastic, particularly “sili sili” bags, had been used to carry books at previous book fairs.
“We urge visitors to bring an environmentally friendly, reusable bag when they come to buy books. This simple step can help reduce the use of single-use plastic and protect the environment,” Rajapaksha said.
The book fair opens on September 25, with the CEA and the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association launching an awareness programme targeting book sellers, food vendors and visitors.
The programme will be conducted under the theme “Read Smart, Carry Smart”, focusing on reducing polythene and plastic use throughout the exhibition.
The CEA said the use of plastic bags is also subject to regulations issued under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act. Gazette Extraordinary No. 2456/41, dated October 1, 2025, prohibits the free distribution of handled “sili sili” bags to consumers. Where such bags are sold, the charge must be included in the customer’s bill.
The CEA said food outlets at the book fair would also be required to comply with regulations prohibiting a range of single-use plastic products.
These include plastic straws and stirrers, disposable plastic plates, cups, spoons, forks and knives, as well as polythene-based food wrappers commonly known as lunch sheets.
The CEA said it had discussed the requirements with relevant stakeholders and reached agreement to ensure that prohibited products are not used at food outlets within the exhibition premises.
The authority urged both traders and visitors to cooperate with the initiative and help make this year’s book fair a more environmentally responsible event.
Partnership signals renewed foreign investor confidence in Sri Lanka as a destination and in the long-term growth of its hospitality sector
Japanese investor Yoshimichi Watanabe has entered into a partnership with Colombo Stock Exchange-listed Hunas Holdings PLC, in a move that comes as the diversified conglomerate prepares a significant expansion of its hospitality and real estate interests in Sri Lanka.
The partnership brings foreign capital and international market experience into one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-diversifying listed groups at a point when the Group is actively building out its pipeline across both sectors. Hunas Holdings is currently evaluating a series of hospitality and real estate developments in Sri Lanka, with further announcements expected in the coming months.
Hunas Holdings PLC operates across hospitality and leisure, real estate, renewable energy and agriculture, with a hotel portfolio that includes Hunas Falls in Elkaduwa
For Sri Lanka, the significance of the partnership extends beyond the two parties. Inbound investment of this nature, from an investor with direct and sustained experience of the market, is a measure of returning confidence in the country as a destination and in the underlying fundamentals of its hospitality sector, at a time when the industry is repositioning towards higher-value, experience-led travel.
Watanabe brings investment experience across e-commerce, hospitality and real estate in Japan and in international markets including Bali, Indonesia. He has also maintained a relationship with Sri Lanka over many years, having made multiple investments in the country, giving him first-hand insight into its business environment, regulatory landscape and long-term potential.
Ms. P. M. Jayadeera (Engineer) appointed Director General of Irrigation
Sri Lanka Cricket Draft Bill to be gazetted
Cabinet approves purchase of machinery for the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation
Cabinet approval for Project to Build Secure, Skilled, and Empowered Community for families resettled at the at Kalinga Mawatha, housing scheme
Appointment of Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Organization of 79th Independence Day Commemoration
Establishment of New Management Framework for the Dr. Nevil Fernando Hospital
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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