Colombo: Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga announced that the Sri Lankan government has approved five new airlines to operate into the country before the end of the year in order to boost tourist arrivals following the lifting of Covid restrictions. As a result, starting November 1, Sweden's Edelweiss Air will fly once a week and Russia's Aeroflot twice a week, while Air France will fly three times a week starting November 3. In addition, starting in the first week of December, AZUR Air of Russia and Neos Air of Italy will fly twice a week to Colombo, according to the Minister.
These airlines' operations into the country will be governed by strict health regulations. "The goal is to boost foreign earnings and contribute to the national economy by revitalising the tourism industry," Ranatunga said. "If the current trend continues, October will likely be the year's highest monthly arrivals," Ranatunga said. "With the relaxation of travel restrictions, there is a growing interest from international visitors to visit the country," said the Minister.
International travel had resumed following the global administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, with nearly 16,500 tourists arriving in Sri Lanka between October 1 and 24, boosting hopes for the crisis-plagued industry. According to official figures, 13,547 tourists arrived in September, bringing the total for the first nine months to over 54,768. The tourists were mostly from India, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Russia, Germany, the Maldives, Canada, France, the United States, and Indonesia.
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