India tops foreign tourists' list of Sri Lanka; surpasses UK, Pakistan, Russia & Germany

Indians topped the list of foreign visitors in Sri Lanka in October, according to Sri Lankan officials on Tuesday, 9 November, as the island nation slowly recovers from the pandemic's impact on leisure tourism. PTI reported, citing Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority report that the top five international tourist generating nations in October were India, the UK, Pakistan, Russia, and Germany. “The total number of international tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during October was 22,771. A modest improvement in the month of October can be noticed following the sharp contraction in arrivals after the month of April. This reflects the improvement in international arrivals owing to factors such as vaccination advances around the world," according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

"India was the largest source of tourist visits to Sri Lanka in October, accounting for 37% of total traffic. The United Kingdom and Pakistan accounted for 10% and 9% of total traffic, respectively," according to the report.

The increase in arrivals from the Americas, as well as Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, suggests a slight revival of leisure tourism, which could be facilitated by factors such as gradual improvement in traveller confidence and the lifting of travel restrictions, according to the report. This year, a total of 60,695 tourists had visited Sri Lanka as of 31 October. It is an 88% decrease from the previous year, when 507,311 tourists visited the country from January to 18 March. Sri Lanka's economy has been harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a drop in the number of foreign tourists visiting the island nation. So far, the country has reported 545,935 confirmed cases and 13,875 deaths as a result of the disease.

US opens up for fully-vaccinated foreign travellers

The United States reopened its borders to many vaccinated international travellers on Monday, 9 November, allowing families and friends to reunite for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus and providing a boost to the travel industry, which had been devastated by the pandemic. For the last 20 months, the US was closed to millions of foreigners.

Citizens and permanent residents of the United States have always been allowed to enter the country, but the travel bans have stranded tourists, stymied business travellers, and often kept families apart. However, travellers must have proof of vaccination and a negative report of the COVID-19 test.

The US will accept travellers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the World Health Organization-approved emergency vaccines, not just those used in the US. Many people in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used, are relieved by this news.

However, millions of people around the world who have been vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V, China's CanSino, or other non-WHO-approved vaccines will be unable to visit the US.

(With inputs from PTI)

Image: PTI