Britain has further relaxed its travel advisory to Sri Lanka this week, after an initial relaxation in June this year.

The Minister of Tourism Promotion for the island nation, Faiszer Musthapa, is said to have been engaged in talks with Dr Peter Hayes, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, to discuss the travel advisory relaxation.

Musthapa said after the further relaxation was announced, that this was a significant step forward for the country’s touristic future. He added that Sri Lanka has been making positive strides post conflict, and that the country looks forward to support from the international community.

While making the announcement, the British High Commission said the travel advice to UK travellers was relaxed to the extent that stipulates a general threat- as opposed to the previously declared high level of threat- from terrorist activity in Sri Lanka.

Inbound tourism numbers for Sri Lanka have shown distinct growth this year, with arrivals placed at 35% higher than for the same period last year. A 17% increase has been witnessed in UK arrivals alone. Britain has traditionally been an important source of foreign visitors to the country.

The increase in travel numbers is not restricted to the UK market. A 51% increase in arrivals from India has been recorded, and the Middle East market showed a growth of 28%.

Europeans have also increased travel to Sri Lanka. This year has show a 109% rise in visitors from France, and arrivals from Switzerland went up around 90%.

Source asap.co.uk