Pathfinder foundation Now that Sri Lanka has achieved notable success in containing the danger posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the health of the nation, the time has come for a concerted and decisive focus on reviving the economy.  This is particularly timely now that the economy has been removed from its induced coma” with […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake is expected to be reopened for tourists from August 01, says Minister of Tourism and Aviation Prasanna Ranatunga. The same procedure that is applied to tourists will be exercised on Sri Lankans returning to the country, however, prior to August 01, returnees will be quarantined upon arrival, […]

Courtesy The Island President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the Central Bank has failed in its duty and cannot evade responsibility for the alleged irregularities in ETI Investments, the Presidential Media Division said. The inquiring committee appointed to investigate alleged irregularities in ETI Investments met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday. The Committee […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror The Cabinet has decided to provide relief to the tourist industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said. He said this at a discussion held at Temple Trees on the problems faced by the tourist and hotel industries and on how best to resuscitate the tourist […]

V Sajeev Kumar  Kochi Courtesy The Hindu Business Line The availability of imported Sri Lankan pepper in the consuming markets of Delhi and Mumbai seem to have perked up some demand from end-users. Traders in these markets are reported to have covered Sri Lankan produce from Tamil Nadu dealers at ₹300 + GST+ freight and this […]

Courtesy matador network SRI LANKA IS planning to welcome tourists back starting on August 1, 2020, but it’s taking this step with a serious safety protocol. Many countries are now requiring a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, administering them at the airports, but Sri Lanka is requiring four tests. According to Sri Lanka Tourism, the first test must be […]

Courtesy Adaderana BEIJING: China has suspended debt repayment for 77 developing countries as part of its efforts to help underprivileged nations in the fight against Covid-19. However, it did not reveal the nations that would be benefitting from this move. Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, made the announcement at a press conference […]

Courtesy Hindustan Times Ratnayake, a cafe owner in Ella, a former colonial hill station in Sri Lankan tea country, organized free food and shelter for dozens of stranded tourists. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The tourists came to see the magical waterfalls and mountain views of the lowland jungle and rainforest. But then the pandemic […]

Courtesy nitravelnews.com Sri Lanka hopes to reopen to tourists in August, subject to new measures to guard against new coronavirus cases. The country plans to open to small groups, staying in approved accommodation that meets strict Covid health and safety guidelines.Kimali Fernando, Chair of Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau confirmed visitors would be required to […]

Courtesy the national.ae Tourists will be required to carry a ‘Covid-19-free certificate,’ says tourism ministry secretary . Sri Lanka plans to reopen its tourism sector in mid-June by allowing only small groups of visitors to begin with, a local newspaper quoted a senior tourism ministry official as saying. A limited number of small groups from […]

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia India eager to participate in Lanka’s post COVID economic recovery, through development projects and cooperation as per Lanka’s requirements. Colombo, May 29 (newsin.asia): The High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, paid a courtesy call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday. Pointing out the contribution of Indian […]

Courtesy Blue Swan Daily Sri Lanka‘s COVID-19 Prevention Task Force Committee reportedly submitted a proposal to Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to permit Sri Lankan airports to resume handling international tourist arrivals from 01-Aug-2020 (Colombo Page/Lanka Business Online/Daily Mirror, 26/27-May-2020). As previously reported by CAPA, scheduled arriving international passenger services have been prohibited in Sri […]

Kelum Bandara Courtesy The Daily Mirror The government has worked out a roadmap for reopening the Bandaranaike International Airport for inbound and outbound passengers with guidelines that include the setting up of a laboratory to test them for COVID-19, Civil Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said today. He made these remarks regarding the inauguration of a […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror Brandix Apparel Limited has started to export 200 million face masks to the United States, the company said.    Issuing a statement Brandix said that Special Representative of the President and Head of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication, Basil Rajapaksa, symbolically handed over the first batch […]

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Economy May 13 (Reuters) – Sri Lankan stocks rose on Wednesday, boosted by gains in financials and consumer stocks, while the central bank announced stimulus measures to bolster the tourism-dependant economy during the COVID-19 pandemic after markets closed. ** The benchmark stock index closed up 2.81% at 4367.25, snapping a two-day losing streak. ** Sri […]

By Feizal Samath Courtesy TTG Asia Sri Lanka – similar to Maldives – is considering reopening its air and sea borders in July to foreign tourists. However, Sri Lanka Tourism’s chairperson Kimarli Fernando said arrivals would be mostly overseas Sri Lankans returning to visit relatives and friends. In anticipation of this, the government is planning to aggressively promote […]

Courtesy The Guardian(UK) India’s ‘champagne of teas’ among those affected as country’s tea board estimates output could drop 9%, amid strain in China and Sri Lanka Trouble is brewing for the world’s tea producers as the coronavirus lockdown shut down the harvest in several important regions, including the picking of India’s champagne of teas”. Despite […]

Courtesy Financial Express The president emphasised the need to focus promoting medical tourism by highlighting the “successful efforts taken by Sri Lanka to contain the spread of the coronavirus.” Sri Lanka will target high-spending tourists to revive the tourism sector which has been shattered by the coronavirus pandemic, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said. Widespread travel […]

Courtesy Adaderana An operational guideline introducing the procedure to be adopted by barber shops and salons that are serving customers during the outbreak of COVID-19 has been issued. Issuing the guideline, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated that this guideline is an addendum to the main guideline – Interim Operational Guidelines on […]

Yasiru Ranaraja, Maya Majueran Courtesy CGTN Yasiru Ranaraja is a maritime regulations and BRI developments expert. Maya Majueran is a Ph.D. candidate at the State University of Kalaniya researching the BRI. The article reflects the authors’ opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. Sri Lanka is considered a vital part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) because of […]

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Colombo, April 22 (newsin.asia) — Sri Lanka Tourism plans for an early revival post-COVID-19, as the country starts opening up gradually from this week. A major step was the Cabinet approval of the critical five-year global promotion initiative last week and plans are underway to finalize the Terms of Reference and appointment of […]

BY JAMES CHAPPLE Courtesy ttg The carrier has suspended regular flights until 30 April, but is operating selected special services to repatriate visitors. Limited commercial flight options otherwise remain for Britons seeking to return from the island nation, according to the Foreign Office (FCO) – which has confirmed the Saturday flight. However, the FCO will […]

By KYLIE WALTERS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Gordon Ramsay was a huge hit with audiences when he appeared in the premiere of MasterChef: Back to Win on Monday night as a guest judge. But the 53-year-old celebrity chef was left slightly red-faced when he made a terribly awkward gaffe while praising competitor Dani Venn on her […]

Embassy of Sri Lanka Washington D.C.  The Government of Sri Lanka has introduced a new bank account termed Special Deposit Account (SDA) for all Sri Lankans living in and outside the country to remit their foreign currency earnings, savings and investments to any bank of their choice in Sri Lanka. It is in the form […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror A new bank account termed Special Deposit Account (SDA) has now been introduced for all Sri Lankans living in and outside the country to remit their foreign currency earnings, savings and investments to any bank of their choice in Sri Lanka. It is in the form of Term Deposits either in […]

Courtesy Adaderana A decision has been taken to close the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Center until further notice. The lack of proper hygiene procedures followed by the public who visit the center is the reason behind this decision, according to Chairman of the Economic Center Trade Association Channa Arawwa. He added that there is a risk […]

Mangolk Mangolk has created a central directory of delivery services people can use during the curfew. https://mangolk.com/#5e8397a205ac5a402b71ecea,5e8397a205ac5a402b71ef2f

By NS Energy Staff Writer Courtesy NS Energy The facility waiting for the delivery, in Sri Lanka, has a capacity of 10MW The Vertex series includes bifacial double-glass modules and back sheet modules. (Credit: Pixabay/Free-Photos) Trina Solar Co., Ltd (Trina Solar” or the Company”), a global leading provider of integrated PV modules and smart energy solutions, […]

Editorial Courtesy The Island Tuesday 31st March, 2020 Time was when there were retail shops, or sillara kades, at every nook and cranny of the country, selling various commodities, including grocery items, at reasonable prices. Catering as they did mostly to low income groups, they could keep prices low as they had no overheads as […]