Shawdesh Desk:

The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) has welcomed a request by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to ease entry requirements for foreigners in a bid to revive the country’s Covid-19 battered tourism industry, local media reported on Friday.

“Subsequent to the Easter Sunday attacks, Sri Lanka tourism has lost out on three winter seasons, which has had a devastating impact on the industry and the local economy. We fear the industry will not be able to sustain a fourth winter season if globally-recognised entry protocol is not implemented,” Xinhua news agency quoted THASL as saying in a report by the Daily FT newspaper.

The THASL said that Sri Lanka is in the middle of a successful vaccination drive, reports IANS.

Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s largest foreign currency earners, raking in between $3 to $4 billion per year.