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Blogs from Tikalanka are designed to enhance your knowledge of Sri Lanka and Maldives and keep you up to date with recent developments. We intend to post regular features on travel, news, lifestyle and accommodation as well as guest articles from current and past customers, which will give you first-hand experience of Tikalanka, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Posted by John on 15th July 2020
Tikalanka is 16 years old today! When we launched in 2004 we could never have envisaged what the future would hold for us… and what a 16 years it has been! We have endured civil war, a tsunami, countless, disrupting local and parliamentary elections, terrorist bomb attacks, a financial recession, and now COVID-19. But we have endured – and remain resolutely positive, whatever the ‘new normal’ may be.
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Posted by John on 3rd July 2020
Ridiculous as it may seem, the illustrious UK government today decided NOT to include either Sri Lanka or Maldives on its initial travel corridors list, which exempts travellers from self-isolating for 14 days on arrival in England from 10 July 2020. Both island nations have managed to limit the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) effectively and efficiently, contrary to our own government's disastrous and amoral actions, so why penalise them for doing the job properly?
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Posted by John on 10th June 2020
Sri Lanka Tourism is ready to welcome tourists from 01 August 2020. The organisation released a set of new protocols and procedures for hotels, DMCs and other tourism partners on 29 May 2020 with the aim of safeguarding visitors against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which will be implemented and standardised across the Sri Lankan tourism industry as a means of reassurance to future visitors.
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Posted by John on 5th June 2020
Some good news, finally: Sri Lanka is proposing to reopen for tourist arrivals from 01 August 2020. So far, Sri Lanka has performed excellently in the face of the pandemic with relatively low infection rates in comparison to most other countries thanks to the prompt and efficient actions of the government. New procedures are being implemented at the airport, restaurants, hotels, tourist sites and national parks, although the finer details are still being finalised by Sri Lanka Tourism.
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Posted by John on 22nd May 2020
With the British government intimating that you shouldn’t plan any holidays abroad this summer and Qatar Airways already cancelling flights to Sri Lanka up to September 2020, international tourism is in the doldrums and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the near future. However, at least both the Governments of Sri Lanka and Maldives appear to have contained the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) promptly and effectively in stark contrast to our own.
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Posted by John on 28th April 2020
The Sri Lankan government announced the phased reduction in curfews from 20 April 2020, although overnight curfew measures and social distancing instructions remain in force. There remain commercial flight options to return to the UK from Sri Lanka with Qatar Airways, which is operating flights from Colombo to Doha three times a week with onward connections to the UK.
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Posted by John on 22nd April 2020
Happy Earth Day! Yesterday, on the first anniversary of the terrorist atrocities in Sri Lanka, I sent a message to our guides about the coronavirus pandemic, finishing with a favourite quote of mine from ‘Lord of the Rings’, which is particularly prophetic today: (Frodo) “I wish none of this had happened." (Gandalf) "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
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Posted by John on 20th April 2020
As of today (20 April 2020), Tikalanka is no longer able to accept credit card payments since our ‘generous’ merchant services provider has varied the T&Cs to such an extent that it is not viable for us to continue to take credit cards. However, payment by bank transfer or personal cheque remain valid options.
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Posted by John on 15th April 2020
Sri Lanka’s New Year celebrations on 13 April 2020 were a subdued affair unsurprisingly with the prime minister promoting national unity and cultural coexistence to mark the occasion. SriLankan Airlines has extended the suspension of regular flights until at least 30 April 2020.
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Posted by John on 11th April 2020
EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL ADVISORY NOTICE – The Foreign & Commonwealth Office advised British citizens against all non-essential travel worldwide on 17 March 2020 for an initial period of 30 days. This was changed to “an indefinite period” on 04 April 2020. This leaves Tikalanka and our customers in a quandary since no definitive end to the travel advisory implies that it may be lifted at any time, which means holiday bookings are in limbo right up until the departure date.
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