FCO relaxes east Sri Lanka travel advice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has relaxed its travel advice for the east coast of Sri Lanka, opening up areas which have been off-limits for years.

The FCO no longer advises against travel to the following areas: Trincomalee Town, including the A6 road corridor to Trincomalee; Block One of Yala National Park; areas of Ampara District south of the A4 road including Arugam Bay; areas of Ampara District west of the A25 and A27 roads.

The new advice opens up an area which contains some of Sri Lanka’s major attractions, but has been doubly blighted by civil unrest and the 2004 tsunami. Arugam Bay boasts the island’s finest surf beaches, and Yala’s elephants and leopards make it the country’s premier National Park.

The British High Commissioner Dr. Peter Hayes stated earlier today, “We’ve taken this decision based on our assessment of the improving security situation in these parts of Sri Lanka.”

The FCO had previously advised against travel to these areas due to the Tamil Tigers’ long-standing uprising against the Sri Lankan government. However, all territory within Sri Lanka has now been under government control since May 2009.

It is recommended that all travellers to Sri Lanka read the full FCO travel advisory. British tourists are still discouraged from travelling to other areas of the Eastern Province and all of northern Sri Lanka.

You can find the full FCO travel advisory here.