No travel ban - Renton

Shirajiv Sirimane

Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism, Renton De Alwis said that no country has imposed a travel ban restricting citizens of their country from visiting Sri Lanka.

Referring to a news item in a Sunday newspaper he said that there are only travel advisories, which states that tourists should avoid conflict areas. "These advisories are common and can be seen imposed even in developed countries.

If a travel ban is imposed on a country as a whole the tourists are advised not to visit that country at any cost and insurance companies too would not honour any claims from such countries.

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned it's not the position and any tourist can visit Sri Lanka, he said.

De Alwis said that last year there was a travel ban imposed by some European countries and this has now been rescinded. "Media should be more responsible in reporting such issues as it can have negative impacts for the tourism industry," he added.