Sri Lanka welcomes tourists after 8-month-long coronavirus interruption

Colombo (TIP): A group of Ukrainian tourists on Monday became the first batch of holidayers to visit Sri Lanka in more than eight months after the island nation put curbs on international travel due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Ukrainian group arrived as scheduled at the Mattala International Airport in Hambantota as part of a pilot project to welcome back tourists in the country, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga told reporters. “We will run this pilot project till January 19. They (tourists) will be allowed to visit identified tourist spots while being in a bio-bubble,” Ranatunga said. Sri Lanka’s two international airports were closed in mid-March, as the country went into a lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  PTI