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Sri Lanka to reopen tourism industry in August with restrictions

Sri Lanka plans to reopen its tourism industry on August 1 by allowing small groups of tourists to visit the island.

Speaking to Reuters, Kimali Fernando, chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said that visitors will be able to visit from August and “stay in approved five-star hotels that have put strict safety measures in place.”

Tourists will be required to carry a “COVID-19 free” certificate issued by their governments and will also need to wait on arrival at the airport for coronavirus testing.

If the proposals are approved by the Sri Lankan government, Bandaranaike International Airport and Matta International Airport will partially reopen with testing facilities.

The tourism sector contributes around 11% of the nation’s gross domestic product but has seen a decline in visitors since the Easter Sunday attacks.

See more from Reuters here.

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