Sri Lanka Tourism was one of the first in the Asian region to prepare and issue a comprehensive COVID-19 Health Protocol for the Industry which was developed and issued with the support of the Ministry of Health, the UN World Health Organization and the input of the industry.
“Currently, over 92 establishments; accommodation providers and tour operators have been awarded the Safe and Secure Certification to service and accommodate international tourist for the first 14 days. We continue to audit and award certifications,” said Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism, Kimarli Fernando.
Sri Lanka received the Safe Travel Stamp from World Travel & Tourism Council, reflective of the sound protocol implemented by Sri Lanka Tourism. This includes the independent Auditing firm KPMG inspecting the ‘Safe and Secure Certification’ that provides Global Travellers with the comfort and confidence that Sri Lanka has taken all necessary steps to ensure safety. The audits are conducted free of charge for the first-time certification where the costs are being borne by SLTDA.
Certification includes a QR code that will permit guests to provide feedback on the health and safety protocols followed by their hotel & service provider, which will enable continuous assessment, besides inspection by the PHIs and regional health officers.
Several training sessions were conducted on Pandemic Preparedness for SMEs, designed and rolled out together with S4IG Australia and Asian Development Bank. COVID-19 guideline training was conducted partnering with the Market Development Facility (MDF) of Australia and the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL).
A detailed Airport Opening Protocol has been developed in the last several months and presented to the Minister of Health.
“This is a global health pandemic and we are guided by health officials. Diluting the health protocols would compromise the safety of international travellers and citizens when the airport reopens. Unless the Ministry of Health gives us the approval to relax the health and safety protocols, we are unable to do so. Meanwhile, we will continue to support our stakeholders to ensure the safety of all and reach out to support you to thrive in the new normal that we face at this time.” This Guideline is available on the SLTDA official website and can be accessed through https://sltda.gov.lk/storage/documents/SLTourism-OperationalGuidelines.pdf.
The guideline provides direction to all tourism service providers on how to carry out their operations in a responsible manner adhering to the health protocols. Any SLTDA registered tourism service provider from accommodations, travel agents, tour operators, tours crews (tour guides and chauffeurs) or other services can apply for ‘Safe & Secure’ certification, if they are ready to be audited by the KPMG.
The application is available online and can be accessed through https://sltda.gov.lk/safe-certification.
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