March 07, Colombo (LNW): In January, Experience Travel Group, alongside 35 co-signatories, published an open letter urging the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to revise its travel advice concerning Sri Lanka.
The letter criticised the FCDO’s references to fuel and food shortages dating back to the 2022 political unrest and continued mentions of the 2019 terrorist attacks, deeming the current guidance “excessively severe.”
It asserted that such advisories were detrimental to Sri Lanka’s travel industry and suggested that the UK government was inadvertently undermining the sector.
Conservative peer Lord Naseby raised concerns in the House of Lords regarding the accuracy of the FCDO’s comments, noting discrepancies such as references to ongoing protests and fuel shortages that, according to him, were not reflective of the current situation in Sri Lanka.
Lord Naseby urged Foreign Secretary David Cameron to review and potentially amend the guidance, proposing that representatives from the Experience Travel Group be included in discussions with junior ministers to address the matter.
Managing Director of Experience Travel Group, Sam Clark, described Lord Naseby’s intervention as a significant development in their advocacy efforts.
He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with the Foreign Office and voiced hope that constructive dialogue would lead to updates in the travel advice that accurately represent Sri Lanka’s situation without causing undue harm to its tourism-dependent economy.
Clark emphasised the importance of updating the FCDO’s advice to reflect the current realities in Sri Lanka, underscoring the need for travelers to have access to accurate and reliable information for informed decision-making.
