Improving the Visa and Booking Process Post Covid for Sri Lanka

 

Due to ever-changing rules, and approval confusion where there is no reference to the forms submitted by Travel agents in Sri Lanka. Most travel agents I speak to are very discouraged to sell or promote Tourism now in Sri Lanka.

Excepts for big players who already have taken a big stronghold in specific markets.

My suggestion for improvements, remove all the Form A and Form B and using Google Forms. We are tech-savvy than that as a nation.

I shall guide step by step how it can be improved, using ONLY the immigration site :

• Use existing immigration visa site

• Client applies for Visa, gets a reference.

• Using the Visa reference, agents have a backend portal where they fill in client details confirming this is their client.

• Using the Visa reference, Tourist Board (assign people specific market-wise) approves agent details.

• Using the Visa reference, the immigration officer confirms the visa once the tourist board official approves the workflow chain.

• Once Visa is approved, travel agent fills in a detailed summary of places visited, driver details so on using the same Visa reference number.

• Before clients arrive using the same Visa reference number, they fill in an online declaration to reconfirm their arrival and details, this is to be done 24 hours before arrival.

That Singular Visa Reference number can be used to track each step by client, travel agent, tourist board, and immigration.

You want it to can one extra step when PCRs are taken of tourists use the same Visa reference as identification.

The entire process can be handed over to a company in Sri Lanka that can develop this overnight.

My process might be flawed, but it will improve workflow structure, there shall be one reference to identify the entire process and tracking of a booking.

This is how you improve tourism in Sri Lanka.

More references on my vision for Sri Lanka Tourism : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whom-may-concern-my-vision-sri-lankas-tourism-liswith-obinamuni

Cheers!

LISWITH

Should we have "Local Private Universities" in Sri Lanka?

 

So there is a big argument going on about Free Education in Sri Lanka.

When it comes to Higher Education, there should be free education as it currently applies like Colombo, J'pura, and other universities.

This does not mean Local Universities should not be given the chance to open up for things like Medicine, Engineering so on "Local Private Universities" this should be an option to chose too.

Why is this important:

• Amount of students traveling to countries like Bangladesh, Russia, and China will reduce as this would be locally available.
• With riots, rag, and the rallies make years spent longer, one who wishes can go for an option where they skip that and finish their given degrees and the promised time frame. 
• Why is this important: this gives opportunities for new batches to continuously join in than current students wasting many more years in university.
• This opens a whole new revenue scheme for Sri Lanka as a country, where we can attract students globally from other countries "Sri Lanka an educational hub" within South Asia.
• They will rent housing, support our economy in USD paying to universities, and living costs too which get injected into our economy.

This does not limit us as a country but helps us expand as a country, fewer students spend money in our countries for education, Sri Lanka gets accredited as an educational hub for higher education in South Asia, we get influx and support the local economy opening doors to the rest of the world too to study and live within our borders. Long term, as a community we get to be inspired by other cultures and people, these universities do not need to be based within Colombo either. Our lectures are teaching in other countries, our Deans and heading administration in other countries time we attract our fellow citizens to earn better and serve our home.

This is my two cents on what could be done to expand who we are as a country.

Do think about it.

Post Covid Number One Destination

 

POST-COVID, visiting the Maldives is very simple.

Make sure your passport has more than 06-month validity for travel.

Return Air Ticket.

A good camera, or a phone with a good camera as the Maldives is the MOST Instagrammable destination.

Beach Wear, Swimwear packed.

Negative result PCR test for COVID 19, the test should be conducted within a maximum of 96 hours before departure to THE MALDIVES.

PCR test document containing the test result should state your name as in passport, Passport Number, Name and Address of the testing laboratory, type of test stated as a PCR test, Date of Sampling, and Result.

In accordance with the health requirements when you are traveling to the Maldives you are required to submit an ONLINE SELF-DECLARATIVE HEALTH DECLARATION via https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/ within 24 hours before their departure TO and FROM the Maldives.

For your return, you can obtain your PCR test at whichever resort you are staying at, ensure to inform the resort once you have checked in.

One last thing, I cannot stress this enough take tonnes of pictures, make sure you snorkel or dive underwater in the Maldives is whole different beauty which I cannot describe in words.

Ok enough of me boring you, make sure at least once in your lifetime you visit the Maldives.

Cheers!

LISWITH