COLOMBO (News 1st): The group of French Naval personnel who arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday (Jun. 07), will engage in a tour of the Yala National Park today (8).

The visiting French Navy personnel will be granted the opportunity to engage in a tour of the Yala National Park, at the request of the French Embassy in Sri Lanka from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhammika Wijayasinghe, the Director-General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) told News 1st.

Accordingly, 101 members of the French Navy are scheduled to visit the Yala National Park; 86 will visit the Udawalawe National Park, and 235 will engage on a tour of the Habarana area.

Tourist guides and Safari Jeeps have also been deployed to facilitate these visits.

Two ships carrying 750 French Naval personnel arrived at the Port of Colombo on Sunday (Jun. 07), and they are scheduled to stay in the island until the 11th of June.

The Department of Wildlife has announced that the Yala National Park will be opened Monday (08) for the visit of the French Navy personnel, which will be conducted under the bio-bubble concept.

All tours of the visiting French Navy personnel will be carried out with the intervention of the Ministry of Tourism.

Furthermore, under the tourism bubble system, permission has been granted to activate the excise permits only at hotels where foreign tourists will stay in Sri Lanka.

The permission was granted subject to the conditions of safe and secure first-class hotels, Kapila Kumarasinghe, the Commissioner-General of Excise told News 1st.

This facility has been provided only for foreign tourists visiting Sri Lanka at the request of the Ministry of Tourism.

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