On August 21, 2020 the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Russia, with the support of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, organized a wide-scale webinar on "Sri Lanka Tourism – Post-COVID-19" via online platform of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

The webinar attracted 89 tour operators and representatives of other organizations, engaged in the tourism industry, from different cities of Russia, as well as from other countries such as Belarus, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran.
The webinar was began with the opening remarks of H.E. the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, Prof. M.D. Lamawansa. In his welcome remarks, he briefly described the recent activities of the Embassy aimed at promotion of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination and highlighted the importance of increasing the number arrivals of Russian tourists who have "a special place in the heart of Sri Lankan tourism". H. E. the Ambassador also drew the attention of the attendees to the importance of enhancement of the cooperation in such spheres, as culture and education.
Senior officials from tourism-oriented authorities of Sri Lanka made presentations, namely Ms. Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) together with Mr. Dushan Wickramasuriya, Director (Marketing) of the Bureau, Mr. Mahen Kariyawasan, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Mr. Sanath Ukwatte, Chairperson of the Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Mr. Mervin Fernandopulle, Former President of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET). And also joined by Mr. Demyan Smilevets, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm).
One of the key speakers, Ms. Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson of SLTPB, expressed the readiness of Sri Lanka's tourism industry to welcome Russian guests; however, there is no exact day set for re-opening of the international airports. Ms. Fernando mentioned that the re-opening process would be implemented on a step-by-step approach, to welcome foreign tourists while ensuring that all precautions measures are in placed as recommended by the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka.
Further, she lined out the measures that have planned, including first PCR tests are to be taken upon arrival as well as after a week of stay in Sri Lanka, pre-booked certified accommodation in their visa applications prior to arriving, etc. In conclusion of her address, SLTPB Chairperson ensured the webinar participants of the commitment of Sri Lankan Tourism Authorities to do their best to provide safe and secure stay for tourists from Russia and other countries.
Mr. Dushan Wickramasuriya, Director (Marketing) of SLTPB, in his speech, mentioned positive dynamics in the arrivals of Russian tourists, which experienced a 34% growth in 2019 despite the Easter Sunday attacks. He highlighted that before the pandemic the Aeroflot airlines had 3 direct flights per week from Moscow to Colombo and expressed hope for resumption of flights soon. Mr. Wickramasuriya informed the audience of the specific segments Sri Lanka intends to promote, particularly, beach-oriented vacations, honeymoon market, family holidays, and referred to the webinar as a great opportunity to start cooperation and establish good communication between Sri Lankan and Russian tourism sectors, proposing that it would be also great to have several specialized webinars on watersports, wildlife, wellness tourism etc.
Mr. Demyan Smilevets representative of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, devoted his presentation mainly to the impact of the COVID-19 on the Russian economy and tourism sector, the approach used by Russia to handle the pandemic, and the criteria set for resumption of air communication with foreign countries. Mr. Smilevets also noted the longstanding friendly relations between Sri Lanka and Russia and the fact that Sri Lanka is the preferred travel destination for many Russian tourists.
In his address, Mr. Mahen Kariyawasan, SAITO Chairman, pointed out that the Russian tourists could be among the first ones to start arriving in Sri Lanka upon the reopening of the borders, especially with Russia being the first country in the world to develop the Covid-19 vaccine. He also underscored the interest of SAITO to conduct promotion activities targeting the Russian market in the upcoming months and invited Russian tour operators to participate in joint activities.
Mr. Sanath Ukwatte, Chairperson of THASL, informed the audience of the current health guidelines introduced in relation to hotels, including additional training of employees engaged in the hospitality industry, independent audits, successful management of the pandemic, and the low death rate that can be observed in Sri Lanka. Mr. Ukwatte noted that all of the above makes Sri Lanka "safe to receive guests" and expressed interest in obtaining assistance from Russian tour operators to attract more tourists to Sri Lanka upon the lifting of restrictions and re-opening of the borders.
Mr. Mervin Fernandopulle, Former President of ASMET, stressed the value of the Russian market to Sri Lanka's tourism sector, noting that all local service providers, including hotels, restaurants, transport providers, watersports and excursion organizers, are ready to ensure safe and secure vacations for Russian tourists, as all of them undergo the procedure of obtaining mandatory certificates from the Sri Lankan tourism authorities. Mr. Fernandopulle announced that the government goal is to double the number of tourists travelling from Russia in 2021, underlining that the Association is ready to cooperate with the local tourist agents and operators.
The program was concluded with the Q&A session, during which a wide range of questions was raised by Russian tour operators who later described the webinar as a very interesting and informative event that was of use for tourism organizations amid uncertainties caused by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.