Ukrainian tourists arrive in Hambantota as part of pilot project

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka welcomed the first tourists on Dec. 28, after a 9-month break with a tour group arriving in flight from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737, which came via Sharjah landed in Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport at shortly after 1400 hours local time.

The Ukrainian group arrived as scheduled at the Mattala International Airport in Hambantota as part of a pilot project to welcome back tourists in the country, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.

“We will run this pilot project till January 19. They (tourists) will be allowed to visit identified tourist spots while being in a bio-bubble,” Ranatunga said.

The Ukrainians are one of two batches of Ukrainian tourists to arrive in the country this week.

The Sri Lankan government has incentivized air travel in the months following the COVID-19-induced air travel break, offering zero parking fee and landing costs for international operators.