In a boost for holidaymakers, the Foreign Office has updated its Sri Lanka travel advice and softened its warnings around safety on the island.
Although the UK government wasn't advising against travel to Sri Lanka, until earlier this month it was warning visitors of risks including shortages of the likes of fuel and food, as well as a number of power cuts and potential political unrest.
However, back in January, the Experience Travel Group (ETG) launched a campaign with an open letter warning that the Foreign Office's advice for Sri Lanka "systematically undermines the travel industry" because these warning were dating back to events on the island in 2022, and argued that the moderate risk no longer applied for visitors today.
Now, the Foreign Office has updated its advice for the holiday hotspot, and removed warnings of food or fuel shortages, in a move that has been celebrated by the campaigners.
The Experience Travel Group's open letter came after research revealed that nearly 74% of Brits would turn down even a free holiday if Foreign Office travel advice suggested a destination was unsafe.
Commenting on the latest change in advice, Sam Clark, CEO of Experience Travel Group said: "This is a major win for all those who signed up to our public campaign for fairer, more accurate travel guidance on Sri Lanka.
"Nobody should deny themselves the beauties and cultural riches of this amazing country just because of a moderate risk that exists everywhere. After all the UK itself is no stranger to political protest. If people are deterred from travel on that basis, they would never even leave their own front doors."
However, it is worth noting that the Foreign Office does continue to have a series of warnings in place if you are planning to travel. For example, it warns that "terrorists are likely to try and carry out attacks in Sri Lanka", and that "protests and demonstrations can happen anywhere across the island at short notice, and can become violent". It also urges Brits to be vigilant and store belongings safely amidst "an increase in incidents of low-level opportunistic crime".
Still, there are plenty of other holiday destinations with similar warnings in place. Ultimately the Foreign Office doesn't advise against travelling to Sri Lanka, so the island is open for those who want to explore - and there's so much to see and do.
Sri Lanka is packed with incredible places such as the awe-inspiring ancient citadel of Sigiriya,
the breathtaking Udawalawe National Park with its elephants and spotted deer, the bustling city of Colombo, and of course those picture-perfect sandy beaches such as the golden sands of Unwatuna Beach.
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