Sri Lanka’s confidence of a strong post-pandemic resurgence – New hope for 2022

Due to the decision to close borders in order to curtail the spread of the virus, Sri Lanka suffered a massive loss of tourist income, which declined from USD 4.38 billion in 2018 to zero in August 2020. As an antidote, the country decided to open its borders to a select few countries in the hopes of pumping some life into the industry which was barely surviving.

First, Ukrainian travellers arrived, and the country allowed Indian travellers to also visit the island soon after. Now the country’s borders are fully open, and Sri Lanka lets vaccinated travellers into the country, provided that they have a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival. Travelling to Sri Lanka with a negative PCR also means that there’s no quarantine requirement. The UK too removed Sri Lanka from its Red List, prompting a surge in the number of British travellers to Sri Lanka. October to March is the peak tourist season in Sri Lanka, and this is when Nuwara Eliya bungalows the likes of Oliphant Boutique Villa by Amaya are often packed with tourists and are high in demand. With the current situation, Sri Lanka is predicted to have a USD 500 million tourist revenue – or more with any luck – by the end of the current financial year, which is March 2022. Judging from the calls hospitality establishments and tour agents are receiving, the expected tourist arrivals are set at 50,000 a month.