Germany has further relaxed travel restrictions imposed on German nationals visiting Sri Lanka. This follows the rapid improvement in the security situation in Sri Lanka with the collapse of the LTTE.

The German Embassy said a long standing travel advisory had been eased enabling German tourists to visit Yala National Park and even Arugam Bay and the eastern regions. The Defence Ministry in Sri Lanka welcomed the move while urging other countries to review existing travel restrictions on foreigners imposed years ago during the height of Tamil Tiger atrocities.

“Sri Lanka’s tourism has great potential” says new German Ambassador to Colombo Jens Uwe Plotner. He further said that “Sri Lanka is a small universe with great potential”. “The wide diversity in tourism ranges from cultural sites, sunny beaches, tea plantations to wild life and safaris. Sri Lanka has attracted German tourists to the island for over three decades”.

He was not surprised to find that the most number of tourists to visit Sri Lanka for several years had come from Germany. He said “Now is the time for Sri Lanka to exploit its vast tourism potential by assuring stable and reliable investment-conditions, investing in transport-infrastructure and upgrading existing hotels on the island”.

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