Although Sri Lanka is a richly biodiverse island and is accordingly famed for its wildlife abundance, its varied eco-systems spread throughout the island, two land mammals in particular have achieved an iconic status. They are the elephant and the leopard. Of the two, elephants by far are the only animals associated with the island and its long cultural history. Leopards on the other hand have only recently attained popularity and is possibly the most sought after wild animal by both foreign visitors as well as locals who visit wilderness areas. The leopards late popularity is due to its elusive nature, its unwarranted reputation as a dangerous animal and the paucity of knowledge regarding leopards until the 21
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Colombo, Feb 10 (IANS) Sri Lanka registered 1,682 tourist arrivals in January airports resumed flight operations following a nine-month suspension since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to officials.
As part of the reopening, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) implemented a plan to allow international travelers to return following a pilot project that invited 1,500 Ukrainian tourists to arrive in clusters and travel in a biosafety bubble.
The plan comes with several restrictions. Tourists must stay in Level 1 accommodations for 14 days. Guests are allowed to use facilities like pools, gyms, salons and restaurants and also leave the hotel during quarantine to go sightseeing, provided they travel with registered tour guides and drivers.
They must pay for up to three PCR tests and have proof of a negative PCR test 96-hours before their arrival in Sri Lanka.
By Maheshika Dissanayake
As the third-largest export sector globally, the tourism industry is severely affected by the unprecedented COVID 19 pandemic. From January to October in 2020, according to UNWTO, loss in the export revenue from the international tourism sector was recorded at US$ 935 billion, which is ten times larger than the loss of the global economic crisis in 2009. Expectantly, it will reduce global GDP by 1.5% to 2.8%, affecting both developed and developing countries’ economies and livelihoods. Global GDP would incur an economic loss of US$ 2 trillion. One out of ten people worldwide depend on the tourism industry directly or indirectly, thus exposing 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs to risk due to the decline of international tourists’ arrival by 70% to 75%. Consequently, UNWTO predicts that the tourism industry will bounce back to its 1990s level.