Tika Traveller

Discover Sri Lanka & Maldives From Those Who Know It Best

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.

Category: Travel tips

TikaWeeks #03-2/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 21st January 2021

To date, the list of ‘Safe & Secure’ Certified Level 1 hotels in Sri Lanka runs to 55, of which 25 are offered by Tikalanka, and there are currently 17 approved tourist sites and attractions, mostly national parks and cultural sites. Let’s hope that the ongoing health audit continues apace in order to approve many more of our favourite accommodation and places to visit as ‘safe and secure’ in the near future. Visit Sri Lanka Tourism for up to date information on the things you need to know for safely travelling to Sri Lanka.

TikaWeeks #03-1/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 18th January 2021

We have now received the official Sri Lanka Tourism Safety Protocols for arranging and running holidays on the island in the near future. We are still awaiting clarification or confirmation of the finalised list of certified ‘Safe and Secure’ Level 1 hotels (the health audit is still on-going), approved tourist sites, accredited laboratories for PCR tests, and guide or driver guidelines. The safety protocols currently in place will be reviewed regularly and there will most likely be variations to these protocols as time goes by.

TikaWeeks #01/2021: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 5th January 2021

Happy New Year! I am sure that none of us are sorry to see the back of 2020 and let’s hope for better times ahead, whenever they may happen. On this note, Sri Lanka reopened its borders to international tourist flights on 27 December 2020 for a pilot scheme until 19 January 2021 to assess the feasibility of restarting tourism on the island, which is a positive sign. However, the initial health guidelines to be followed are prohibitively restrictive and will need to be relaxed significantly to encourage visitors once again.

TikaWeeks #49/2020: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 2nd December 2020

With the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine in the UK and the first vaccinations taking place in the coming weeks, there is finally an end in sight to the bizarre and unprecedented world that has defined 2020 – hurrah and huzzah! There is also tentative news that Sri Lanka will reopen its borders and welcome foreign visitors once again from the beginning of next year, hopefully from 01 January 2021. We will keep you posted with any developments.

TikaWeeks #43/2020: Maldives update

Posted by John on 23rd October 2020

Some good news to brighten up your Friday - you can plan a much-needed holiday in the tropical sun. Maldives is now exempt from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential international travel. This is based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks. All tourists and short term visitors must present a negative PCR test for COVID-19 on arrival to Maldives. The test and negative PCR certificate must be issued no more than 96 hours prior to departure.

TikaWeeks #41/2020: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 5th October 2020

Both Sri Lanka and Maldives have received the safe travel stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). This seal of approval helps identify destinations and businesses that have adopted a new set of global safety and hygiene protocols as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which take into account WHO and CDC advice.

TikaWeeks #34/2020: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 17th August 2020

Emirates is offering free global COVID-19 cover on your journey. This first-ever initiative assures you of complete support when your travels are affected by COVID-19, including medical expenses and quarantine costs. This cover is valid for 31 days from the start of your journey, so you can travel to any destination with complete peace of mind. Sri Lanka remains closed to foreign visitors, while Maldives is open but the UK requires 14 days’ quarantine on your return.

TikaWeeks #31/2020: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 27th July 2020

From 24 July 2020, Sri Lanka is exempt from Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice against all non-essential international travel. However, quarantine regulations are still in force for people entering the UK from Sri Lanka, and the island is not open to tourism until next month in any case. With the reported completion of the Outer Circular Expressway you can now travel from Bandaranaike International Airport to Hambantota on the southeast coast, the gateway to Yala National Park, in just 3 hours 30 minutes!

TikaWeeks #29/2020: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

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.

TikaWeeks #27/2020: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

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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