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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Katie Williams

TUI cancels more holidays to Sri Lanka as Foreign Office lifts travel ban

Travel provider TUI have cancelled all holidays to Sri Lanka until the end of this month.

The announcement was made on June 8 as the Foreign Office advised Brits not to travel to Sri Lanka unless it was essential.

However as of June 10, the Foreign Office has since lifted this ban and no longer advise against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka.

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FCDO adds: "A State of Emergency in Sri Lanka has been lifted, however some military presence remains on the streets. Curfews may be imposed at short notice.

"If you are in Sri Lanka at this time, or considering travel, you should check local information and stay away from protests."

Sri Lanka is experiencing an economic crisis that has led to the country challenging with shortages of basic necessities including medicines, cooking gas, fuel and food because of a shortage of hard currency to pay for imports.

Protests have broken out in which several people lost their life and others faced injuries.

FCDO warn travellers: "Security authorities have used tear gas and water cannons against protesters. There are ongoing protests in the Galle Road, Galle Face and Fort areas of Colombo. Further protests are likely to take place across the island.

"The Government of Sri Lanka may impose local restrictions including curfews at short notice. You should be vigilant, avoid any demonstrations or large gatherings, and follow the advice of the local authorities."

TUI cancelled all flights to Sri Lanka until the end of June and the airline confirmed to Glasgow Live that this is still the case.

Before the Foreign Office updated their guidance, a statement from TUI on June 8 said: "Due to the ongoing political and economic instability in Sri Lanka, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have advised against all but essential travel.

"As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel all holidays to Sri Lanka departing up to and including June 30 2022.

"We will be proactively contacting all impacted customers in departure date order to discuss their options.

"Please note this advice does not apply to customers transiting through Sri Lanka’s international airport and customers currently in resort can continue to enjoy their holiday as planned.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and update customers should there be any further updates.

"We would like to thank our customers for their understanding at this time."

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