Ahmedabad to Colombo in just 3 hours? New direct flights from Gujarat to Sri Lanka begin soon

Travelling from Gujarat to Sri Lanka is about to get a lot easier. In a major boost for Indian tourists, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, along with City of Dreams Sri Lanka and FitsAir, have announced direct flights between Ahmedabad and Colombo, cutting travel time down to just around three hours. Speaking to WION, Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President of Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, noted that 500,000 Indian tourists went to Sri Lanka last year, adding that they hoped to grow the number by 20-25 per cent this year. He said that India remained Sri Lanka's "number one market" for tourism and that they hoped to grow the number of Indians.

The new route is being pitched as more than just another international flight connection. Tourism and hospitality leaders involved in the launch say the idea is to turn Sri Lanka into a quick, affordable and hassle-free getaway for Gujaratis looking beyond traditional destinations like Dubai, Thailand or Singapore.

Know about fit Air flights: Routes and timings

Until now, travellers from Ahmedabad usually had to take connecting flights through Mumbai or other cities, stretching the journey to seven or even nine hours. The new direct service changes that completely.

“We saw a huge opportunity...Gujarat loves to travel...you all love to enjoy the have the good have a good culinary experience," a senior Cinnamon Hotels executive told WION. With this, the travel from Gujarat to Colombo will take just three hours.

UPI accepted: No currency exchange hassle

What makes the route even more attractive for Indian tourists is the convenience. Sri Lanka accepts UPI payments and even Indian rupees in many places, reducing the headache of foreign exchange conversions. "We do accept UPI and we've been having UPI for the last few years, but I think now is ever more important that we talk about it because of the current situation where we don't want to be spending foreign exchange unnecessarily, and also we as a country accept INR," noted Nalaka Gunawardena.

Visa procedures are also relatively simple through the ETA system.

Tour operators say the new connection could become especially popular for short luxury vacations, destination weddings, family trips and corporate events. Sri Lanka's Ramayana trail, beaches like Bentota, wildlife safaris, hill stations such as Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, along with shopping and food experiences, are expected to draw large numbers of Gujarati travellers.

The launch is also expected to boost two-way tourism. Sri Lankan tourists can now travel directly to Ahmedabad for business events, cricket matches, concerts and cultural tourism. Hospitality leaders behind the project say this is only the beginning, with plans to position Sri Lanka as a "home away from home" for Indian travellers.