Tourism players fear that visa fee and stringent health protocols may deter foreign visitors to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has set a reduced, but still, ambitious target of 800,000 foreign tourist arrivals for 2021, far below the earlier planned 2.5 million laid out a few years back, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to bite.
The revised target was set by the country’s Presidential Task Force for Tourism, according to an official at Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau.
Since reopening on January 21, Sri Lanka has received 5,048 foreign arrivals in January-February
The official, who declined to be named, said the authorities had pointed out to the Task Force that 800,000 is an “ambitious” target as based on current arrivals, the country looks set to receiving only up to 350,000 tourists this year, even with an expected surge during summer.