Tika Traveller

Discover Sri Lanka & Maldives From Those Who Know It Best

Blogs from Tikalanka are designed to enhance your knowledge of Sri Lanka and Maldives and keep you up to date with recent developments. We intend to post regular features on travel, news, lifestyle and accommodation as well as guest articles from current and past customers, which will give you first-hand experience of Tikalanka, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Category: Flights

TikaWeeks #14/2026: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 1st April 2026

The first two months of 2026 were signalling a bumper year for tourism in Sri Lanka, on the back of record visitor numbers in 2025. However, the Middle East conflict has resulted in a significant drop in arrivals to the island since the beginning of last month, mostly due to Sri Lanka’s reliance on Middle Eastern airlines to bring in the majority of Western visitors. While recent developments in the Middle East have understandably raised questions, Sri Lanka remains largely unaffected, offering a sense of calm, continuity and quiet reassurance.

TikaWeeks #13/2026: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 26th March 2026

To say this year has been busy is an understatement, which is the reason for the lack of updates so far – sorry! We are receiving an ever-increasing number of enquiries via ChatGPT and deep dives into Google AI, which shows that our online presence is strong and authentic. Obviously, the conflict between the USA/Israel and Iran has caused issues but we have managed to either reschedule or postpone most of the holidays affected. This is an update for the year to date…

TikaWeeks #42/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 14th October 2025

Sri Lanka no longer issues visas on arrival. You now need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) online, which is valid for 30 days, before you fly. The ETA is issued through an online system, and no passport copies, documents or photographs are required, and there is no requirement to endorse the ETA in your passport. Upon arrival, simply produce your passport to the immigration officer at the port of entry along with a copy of your ETA approval notice.

TikaWeeks #38/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 17th September 2025

Travel not only reduces stress and burn out, but it improves your mood, life satisfaction and sleep as well as increases energy levels and creativity, with this 'boost' typically lasting 2 weeks after your return from holiday. However, travelling responsibly and engaging in meaningful or novel activities increases this boost to up to 6 weeks. Last week's Open House event organised by Responsible Travel in Brighton is an annual get-together of travel companies with responsible and sustainable travel at their heart and Tikalanka was there as usual.

The best beaches are on Sri Lanka's east coast during the summer

TikaWeeks #32/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 4th August 2025

Sri Lanka has just expanded its visa-fee waiver to 40 countries, including the UK, in a bid to boost tourist arrivals, hoping to top the impressive 145,188 visitors recorded in the first 23 days of July this year. Global travel website Big 7 Travel named Sri Lanka ‘The Most Beautiful Island in the World’ for 2025, an incredible accolade indeed, and the latest booking data of Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, show that Sri Lanka is among the top three summer destinations for travel.

TikaWeeks #12/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 21st March 2025

The arrivals card portal for the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka is still down after a month so please complete a paper copy on arrival at Colombo airport instead. We have no idea why it has been inoperative for such a long time and hope it will be up and running again soon. Today’s unprecedented closure of London Heathrow airport due to a power outage has caused travel chaos with all flights cancelled. We hope power is restored again soon, although the airport will be closed until at least midnight tonight.

TikaWeeks #09/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 26th February 2025

Today is Maha Shivratri Day! This Hindu festival celebrates the power of Lord Shiva, who protects his devotees from negative and evil spirits. The new Sri Lankan government, whose approval rating jumped to 62% this month, has promised to bail out the debt-ridden national carrier SriLankan Airlines to the tune of Rs20bn, which comes with the caveat of ensuring profitability in the future. In other news, a camera system based on AI fitted to the front of trains will hopefully save the lives of many wild elephants.

TikaWeeks #03/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 18th January 2025

By the end of December 2024, Sri Lanka had welcomed more than 2 million visitors to its shores, which is a 38% increase on 2023 and the highest level since pre-pandemic 2019. Travellers from the UK remain ardent lovers of the island in third place behind India and Russia. In more news, Vogue toured the inimitable Resplendent Ceylon properties, and BBC Travel has selected Sri Lanka as one of the 25 best places to travel in 2025.

Typical beach on the south and west coasts of Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #44/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 1st November 2024

As the nights draw in, our minds turn to brighter, sunnier and warmer climes – holidays in Sri Lanka! This is the peak season for us, with December to March being the busiest period of the year as our customers escape the short days and cold weather typical of a winter in the UK. With lots of our customers travelling to Sri Lanka soon, I thought a few travel tips would come in handy before you set off on a holiday of a lifetime.

TikaWeeks #41/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 8th October 2024

In this year’s SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, Qatar Airways won the World’s Best Airline and World’s Best Business Class Awards. You may enjoy its award-winning service on routes between the UK and Sri Lanka and/or Maldives. More of our recommended airlines also scored highly, with Emirates awarded third best airline as well as winning the Best Airline Inflight Entertainment Award, British Airways 13th and Etihad Airways 19th.

Independent Tailor-made Holidays to Sri Lanka & Maldives