By Walter Jayawardhana

UKƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s national morning free sheet leader (circulation 1.36 million) in a boost to Sri Lankan tourism told its readers to visit the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-beautifulƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ island nation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-with amazing beachesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and opined ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tourists can help Sri Lanka recover.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The columnist writing under the name ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Travel DoctorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage , amazing beaches, bustling cities and lovely people on both sides of the divide, many of whom rely on tourism for their income , meaning that tourists staying away in the long term could cause even more damage and tension.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The columnist said , ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-as someone who has spent a lot of time in Sr Lanka . seeing the troubles the country has gone through in the past seven years ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” with the Tsunami followed by the heaviest fighting in the long civil war ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦-is heartbreaking.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Speaking about the recovery of the country from its troubles the columnist said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thankfully, the first shoots of recovery could well be on the horizon .ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ It said the Foreign Office (www.fco.gov.uk/travel) recently updated its travel advice and while the North and East , which saw the brunt of the fighting , are still considered out of bounds , the West coast ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”home to some of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s best beaches ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”seems to be pretty safe. Hopefully, the rest of the country will follow, the columnist said.

The Travel Doctor quoted Sanjika Perera , director of Tourism for Britain and Ireland: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We understand and appreciate your concerns about visiting our country. I would like to reassure anyone considering travelling to Sri Lanka that the country is safe and has been safe for tourists as the troubles were mainly in the northern and eastern parts of the island , away from the tourist attractions.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Even during the conflict not one single tourist was injured and Sri Lanka remained one of the most attractive long-haul destinations for holiday makers.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The FCO travel advice in the past reflected the situation and I am pleased to confirm the most recent relaxation to the FCOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s travel advice has made it possible for British tourists to visit the pristine beaches on the east coast of the country , such as famous Arugam Bay ,Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Yala National Park where visitorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s can spot leopards , elephants and other wildlife.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚